


Always Unsuspecting

by Jinskookie



Category: JinKook, Yoonjin - Fandom, bts, taegi - Fandom, vmin - Fandom, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Angst, Blood, Fight Scenes, Hybrids, M/M, Male Witches, Mild Smut, Royalty, Some Humor, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Werewolf, bts supernatural, death of bad guys, non traditional zombies, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2018-06-06 17:03:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 61
Words: 296,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6762547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinskookie/pseuds/Jinskookie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my story that I wrote on AFF (I am Jinskookie there too).</p><p>» In the world of the supernatural, Namjoon's pack is always facing a crisis. Follow the adventures of Seokjin, Jungkook, Taehyung, Yoongi, Jimin, Hoseok and Namjoon as they tackle love, life, enemies, death, and everything in between.</p><p>» OTPs: Jinkook/Kookjin and Taegi<br/>» Mature content (light smut) » Violence/Death » Language » Angst</p><p> </p><p>Fixing for grammar mistakes / adding details - 11.08.17 // BONUS CHAPTERS ADDED! // THANK YOU FOR THE KUDOS!!! ♥<br/>contact me @Jins_Kookie on twitter or Seokkookie.tumblr.com</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

      **This is my story from AFF ♥ (I am Jinskookie there too) - will post the link at end.**

 

   

   

     It was a torrential downpour, the streets were beginning to flood, making the asphalt very slick. Eight-year-old Jungkook sat in the back of his parent's car, playing with his power ranger toys, oblivious to the state of the weather as he fought the forces of evil with his action figures. He heard his father cuss the storm a few times and felt the car swerve once or twice, but thought nothing of it since his father always drove pretty fast, swerving was just a bad habit he had. Jungkook glanced up at his Mom, she was yelling at his father in Korean, he assumed something about how she was going to beat his ass for driving so fast with Jungkook in the car, he always found it comical when his mother did this.

     His father suddenly slammed on the brakes causing the car to veer sideways, he quickly turned the wheel to compensate, coming to an abrupt halt. The seatbelt choked Jungkook slightly as his body jolted forward. His mother's audible gasp made Jungkook turn and plaster his forehead against the glass to try to focus on the outside, seeing nothing but darkness and rain.

     "I think they found us," Father shouted, wiping off the foggy window to peer out, his face turned a shade of pale that didn't seem humanly possible. In one swift motion, he threw the car into reverse and backed up. His mother rummaged for something in the glove compartment, only to drop it again when the car swung around, causing them all to jerk sideways.

     Something hit them hard, the car shook violently as the crunching of metal echoed in their ears, Jungkook dropped his toys and looked up at his parents, eyes wide. _What was that?!_

     "It's too late, there are too many of them." His mother shouted, she stared at Jungkook for a moment, her face filled with worry.

     Jungkook was terrified now, he had never seen his parents react this way, his mind was wild with as many theories as an eight-year-old brain could conjure up. His father smashed his foot against the gas pedal, but only slid around as the tires failed to gain traction on the wet road...

     ...It was too late, a force struck the side of the car so hard that the sheer power sent them flying, the car rolled over several times causing the windows to burst and fling glass everywhere. Jungkook shielded his face instinctively as the glass pelted his body, leaving small scratches on his skin. The car skidded on its roof several feet before stopping, water began to seep in the now glass-less windows.

     Jungkook was in shock, he swore that he heard growling all around the car, his body stiffened as his eyes attempted to locate whatever thing was making these god-awful sounds. He looked up front to see both his parents unconscious, blood smeared their faces and clothing, their bodies limp and suspended in air, held in place only by their seat belts. The car shook slightly and he focused his attention back outside to see that there were now several sets of enormous paws standing on the right side of the car. He closed his eyes, trying to blink out the sight. One of them growled out in what sounded like some sort of foreign language and the next thing he knew, the passenger side door was ripped from its hinges and his mother's body disappeared into the night.  

     "Mama!" He called out, panicked. He scrambled to find his seat belt and unfastened it, falling on his head to the roof of the car with a thud. The water had accumulated to several inches of cold wetness, it soaked his clothing, sending chills up his spine. He heard the screeching metal of the other car door being ripped away and felt the car shake again, he looked back and saw his father's body was gone. He quickly crawled out the window and darted into the woods, crouching down, he slid under some bushes and hid.

     "Find him." A raspy voice snarled.  Jungkook peeked out to see several silhouettes that were clambering around the car stop and head into the trees, the thunderous vibrations shaking the ground around him as they clopped past his hiding spot, he gasped and quickly covered his mouth. 

     Two shoeless feet approached the bush where he hid, stopping several feet in front of him. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." The voice was rough, deranged.

     "He's just a kid-" Someone had yelled.

     Two seconds later he saw a hairy, naked man drop to the ground, his gaze fixed upon Jungkook, a red substance flowing out of a fresh gash in the man's neck. Jungkook stared back at him, his eyes wide with fear. The man held up his finger to his mouth, he knew the man was telling him to be quiet, Jungkook nodded and looked back at the feet of the first man. Before he knew it, something had grabbed his shoe and dragged him from the bush, he screamed and closed his eyes, feeling a heated breath on his face, he didn't dare to open his eyes. _Please make it go away, Please make it go away, Please make it go away._

     "No." Another voice yelled out, followed by what sounded like a small scuffle, Jungkook covered his ears with his hands, trying to drown out whatever it was that he was hearing. The scuffle ended with a loud 'yip' and then silence. Jungkook opened one of his eyes, looking around nervously, his eyes fixated on the grizzliest thing he had ever seen, a really hairy upright wolf standing above a bloodied body several feet away...  No, that couldn't be it, he was hallucinating. He blinked several times, rubbing his eyes, but the scene stayed the same. Jungkook screamed out, he knew he was done for. The creature leered at him, its eyes flashed red and Jungkook passed out. He felt his body being lifted and carried, but he couldn't wake up. He was sure he was dead.

 

      Jungkook opened his eyes, he had to shield them from the sunlight shining on his face, as he moved to the side, evading the brightness. He was relieved, it was all just a nightmare - a very vivid, creepy, real nightmare. A face broke the ray of sunlight and appeared in front of him, he screamed. It wasn't a nightmare! He squished himself against the wall trying to figure out where the hell he was, he did not recognize this room, and who the hell was this woman staring at him?

      "It's okay young one, you're safe." The older woman sat back down in the chair that was leaning up against the bed, she put her knitting needles down and laid her palm atop Jungkook's forehead, feeling for a fever. "You're okay." Her tone was soft and Jungkook felt an instant calm surge through him.

      Out of the shadows, a man stepped forward and Jungkook felt an intense power emanating from him. He glared down at Jungkook, his tall stature blocked half the light that shone in from the tattered curtains that barely covered the broken windows. An ominous silhouette stood before him, commanding his attention. The strange man felt familiar, he had seen him before..somehow. 

     "Something very bad happened to your parents, you're going to live with us now." The man spoke, his voice was strong and Jungkook nodded. He was scared, but he felt oddly safe at this moment. He had questions, but he didn't dare speak. Jungkook watched as the man brushed his blonde hair from his eyes and turned to walk from the room.

     "He looks scarier than he is, trust me." The old woman laughed, "His name is Namjoon, he's the leader."

     "Leader?" Jungkook was puzzled. "L-leader of w-what?"

     "Your questions will be answered shortly, don't worry." She patted him on his shin.

     "A-are you going to k-kill me?" Jungkook stuttered, he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

     "Good lord child, no." She snickered. "When we get back to the den, you will understand more. Don't worry, you will be safe. Those wolves will not bother you, so long as you stay near Namjoon." She insisted.

    _Wolves? Did she say wolves?_ He was confused, his head was pounding, this was too much to process. He laid his head back down and stared up at the ceiling... the dirty, chipped paint ceiling. He decided he was better off sleeping and quickly drifted off.

 

 http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1060712


	2. New Home

 

     It was midnight when they arrived at the 'den'.  From what Jungkook could see, it was a very old castle in the middle of a small clearing in the forest. Armed guards stood on both sides of the iron gates that opened as they approached. It was peculiar, from what he saw last night, whatever these people were, they could obviously cause great harm with their own bodies, so why did they need men with guns guarding this place, a place he suspected no one looked for. The little old woman, who he learned was named Noni, was sitting alongside him in the backseat of the car, her arm wrapped around him in a soothing manner. He normally didn't like to be touched or held like this, but he was still frightened, so it made him feel slightly better. Namjoon was sitting in the passenger seat, his feet propped up on the dashboard, there was a driver next to him, whom he was having a sporadic conversation with. Namjoon would glance back at him every so often and it made Jungkook nervous, he still half expected something to go horribly wrong.

     They pulled up to the front part of the castle and Namjoon promptly exited, he walked to the back and opened the door for Noni, she slid out, turning around to peer back at Jungkook, she held out her hand and he took it and joined her, standing close to her side as the car pulled away. He looked up at the stonework facade of the building. It was very old, he was sure of that. An aura of old world creepy exuded from it - he was sure he would see walking skeletons and dragons fighting to the death just behind those doors. Noni grabbed his shoulders, jarring him from his daydream. She led him inside, through the grand wooden double doors to an impending doom, he gulped. 

     "Don't speak, just walk. Okay?" Noni whispered in his ear. She was barely taller than he was, he nodded and she tightened the grip on him.

     Namjoon disappeared into another room and Noni stopped midway, pulling him to stop. He chanced a glance at the menacing looking stone statue that stood erect next to him, quickly looking away and focusing on the walls instead, they were made of stone inside as well, a dark grey jagged surface covering the entire room. Old paintings lined the walls, portraits of men and women in different clothing of the era they came from, hanging in between were photographs of places that looked as if they came out of a horror film. The whole room was surreal. He shivered, it was cold inside, even though the temperature was well over 80 degrees outside.

     "A kid?" Came a voice from the other room, "Have you gone mad?"

     Namjoon returned with another man, probably the most beautiful man Jungkook had ever seen in his life, just like the models in his mother's magazines, he didn't look real. The man looked him up and down and shook his head, he turned to Namjoon, "This is a joke?" The man whined.

     "Seokjin, I don't have time for this, just see him to a room and make sure he is comfortable. I'll explain everything at dinner." Namjoon ordered and then left them.

     Jungkook looked up at Seokin and swallowed the wad of spit that was caught in his throat. Noni bowed to the man and then turned to Jungkook, "You'll be fine, just listen to him. Okay?" She squeezed his arm. He nodded again, terrified of this new stranger with an obvious disdain for children. He watched as Noni walked from the room and then looked up Seokjin again.

     "How old are you?" Seokjin asked, not even attempting to hide the annoyance in his voice.

     "Eight." Jungkook managed to answer somehow, his cracking voice conveying how skittish he was.

     "What's your name?"

     "J-Jungkook." He stammered.

     Seokjin started to walk and Jungkook followed, hurrying his pace to match the elder's. "I'm sure you're very confused right now."

     Jungkook nodded, toddling behind the tall man as he ascended the staircase. 

     "The men that killed your parents, they were assassins, it means your father made enemies. You're lucky to be alive." His tone did not make Jungkook feel any better, in fact for the first time since it all happened, he registered that his parents were murdered and they weren't coming back. He didn't understand any of this, _assassins?  Wolves?_   What did it all mean?

     He felt the tears well up in his eyes, but he was too afraid to cry, Seokjin did not look very tolerant. They stopped in front a set of double doors, they looked too big to lead to a bedroom and he was sure Seokjin was leading him to a room to torture him. Seokjin pushed them open, letting them fly back and hit the wall with a thump, Jungkook jumped. Inside was a bed, a dresser, and a door he assumed lead to the closet. To his relief, there were no torturing devices.

     "You can sleep here." Seokjin informed him and went to the window to close the drapes.

     Jungkook was wide awake, he didn't think he'd be able to sleep, but he sat on the bed nonetheless, he didn't want Seokjin mad at him.

     Seokjin turned to look at him, exhaling louder than he should have, "Don't wander out into the hallways, bad things happen to curious people." The elder walked to the door. "Someone will come by soon to check on you."

     "S-Seokjin.." Jungkook started, wringing his hands. Seokjin stopped midway of closing the doors behind him.

     "What is it?" Seokjin took in a deep breath, Jungkook was sure he rolled his eyes.

     "Can you stay with me for a bit, I'm scared." Jungkook pleaded.

     Seokjin hesitated for a moment, then slowly stepped back into the room, "For a bit, I suppose." He shuffled over and joined Jungkook on the bed, leaning his back against the headboard with his foot propped up on the comforter.

     Jungkook scanned the room before training his gaze on Seokjin, he looked like he had to be about eighteen, assuming this because his best friend had a brother that looked the same age. "My father wasn't a bad person," Jungkook mumbled. "Why would anyone want to kill him?" He was getting choked up, not wanting to think about the fact that he was now an orphan.

     "Whatever your father was, is what got him killed." Seokjin was not about to sugarcoat things.

     "You're wrong." Jungkook challenged him, how dare this stranger speak ill of his father.

     "You think many fathers tell their eight-year-olds their business, do you?" Seokjin scoffed.

     "I changed my mind, I don't want you to stay with me, you're mean." Jungkook huffed as he laid back, crossing his arms, defiant.

     "Suit yourself." Seokjin smirked as he stood and walked to the doors. "Stay in the room."

     He closed the doors hard, leaving him with a deafening silence. Jungkook wiped a tear from his eyes. The truth was he didn't know what his father did for a living. He knew he was hardly home and when he did manage to come home, it was usually late at night when Jungkook was supposed to be sleeping. If those men were some sort of assassin werewolves, what the hell was his father? What the hell was he?


	3. Answers

   

Jungkook spent the next five years trying to figure out his parents murder, from what he learned from Namjoon, his father was a hunter, which in some ways could be the same as an assassin, except he was more of a specialist, hunting only certain species. He was infamous among the werewolf community, a huge detriment - the cause of over 50 packs being terminated. It also turned out that his mother was the one creature he could not kill, his only weakness. That made Jungkook a halfling - half human/half werewolf. It also made him a prize among the packs, imagine killing the child of a hunter, but not only that, a halfling. Many packs considered halflings a weak sub species, many packs made it a duty to wipe out other packs that had halflings, packs like Namjoon's.

     Jungkook learned that Seokjin was a halfling like himself, in fact his parents were also murdered by the same assassin that killed Jungkook's parents, an extremely evil, power hungry creature named Jacker. Seokjin was barely eighteen when they were killed.  Noni told him since Seokjin had come to live with them, all the elder did was train, he vowed that one day he would have his revenge. Namjoon knew that Seokjin would die trying, which was why he was reluctant to take him out on certain missions, his passion made him reckless at times.

     Jacker was a purebred hell demon wolf, which is the worst kind of werewolf, very tough, and very hard to kill, since most demons are immortal, there were only certain ways you could kill one. Jungkook also learned from Seokjin that the one thing that Jacker was frightened of, was Namjoon, he didn't know why, no one knew the reason, Namjoon was quite the mystery. Noni said Namjoon was over 300 years old, which made him something eminent. She figured it he had to be some sort of demi-god or maybe even a fallen god.

     

     Jungkook was loitering in the castle library, reading a comic book and ignoring his Algebra, when Seokjin found him. The elder threw a pair of MMA gloves and a headpiece to him.

     "What's this?" Jungkook asked, trying on a glove.

     "Today you learn how to really fight, no more baby shit." Seokjin declared. Seokjin had been teaching him how to defend himself, but up until now, it was mostly dodging punches and kicks and learning not to get stabbed or shot. Seokjin hit hard and he didn't tolerate weakness, for someone so pretty, he was a certifiable badass.

     "For real?" Jungkook was excited.

     "If you can handle it." He blinked twice and took a swing at Jungkook, who ducked. Jungkook was quite used to this, as Seokjin often snuck up on him and tested out his dodging ability. "Improvement." He smirked.

     

     The courtyard was behind the castle, the edifice blocked out the sunlight, so it was an optimal place to train. Jungkook spent many hours a week here with Seokjin, he looked forward to it. Seokjin was the one person that didn't treat him like a kid, he hated being treated like a know-nothing kid. They had been sparring for several minutes when Seokjin stopped, wondering why Jungkook had a glazed, far off look in his eyes.

     "Where is your mind?" Seokjin backed up and looked at him.

     "What? What do you mean?" Jungkook realized he had spaced off. "Sorry."

     "Well?" Seokjin pressed, "What's on your mind?"

     Seokjin grabbed his water bottle off the ground and drank down a large gulp, offering the bottle to Jungkook, who took a small swig.

     "Haven't you ever asked him what he really is?" Jungkook threw the bottle back to Seokjin.

     "Namjoon?" He asked, Jungkook nodded. "Figure if he wanted me to know, he'd tell me."

     "But you've been with him for 15 years, you have to be curious." Jungkook sat on the ground and looked up at Seokjin.

     "Bad things happen to-"

     "Curious people, yeah." Jungkook rolled his eyes. This was Seokjin's motto it seemed. "You need to relax once in awhile."

     "You know what happens to people when they relax, Jungkook? They die. Now get up, let's continue." Seokjin threw the water bottle down and assumed a fighting stance.

     Jungkook sighed and stood, he really hated how much Seokjin held in, he closed of a big part of his personality to everyone. He wished the elder would just share something personal with him, since Seokjin was like the best friend he had since he arrived. He hung around with others who were in the pack, like Jimin and Taehyung, the brothers he met a year after he arrived, but they were often in their own world and they always left him behind to go to 'big kid things'.

     "Your problem is you think too much, you daydream constantly." Seokjin swung at him and caught him off guard with a right hook to his lip, causing it to gush blood, Jungkook backed up, cupping his hand to his mouth.

     "Ow, what the fuck?" Jungkook yelled.

     "Are you okay?" Seokjin's faced looked apologetic and for a moment, Jungkook forgot about the pain.

     "Was that an ounce of emotion?" Jungkook was shocked.

     Seokjin smacked him on the arm, "Don't be an ass, I thought you were hurt."

     "My lip is gushing blood, I am hurt." Jungkook whined, licking at it.

     "You'll live." Seokjin grabbed the water bottle and swatted Jungkook's hand away, spritzing some water on to the cut. He wiped the blood away with his finger, examining it. "You should go find Noni and have her take a look at it, if the rest of the pack smells blood, they could eat you."

     "What?!" Jungkook looked at him, eyes wide. "That's a joke, right?"

     Seokjin smiled and headed back towards the house. "Find Noni." He called back.

     Noni looked at the cut. She grimaced. "Has a hard fist there. You'll heal, give it an hour." She put everything back into the first aid kit.

     "Noni, can I ask you something?" Jungkook watched as she struggled to put the kit up on the shelf and he walked over, grabbed it and placed it on the shelf for her. Since Jungkook had arrived, he had grown at least a foot and a half.

     "Questions again? You are a curious creature." She smiled. "Can I get you some dinner?"

     "Yes please." He sat at the table. Noni's cooking was the best, it reminded him of his mother's and was the one thing he could find solace in on a hard day.

     Noni went to the stove and put a pot on. She looked at him. "So, what's the question?"

     "What's Seokjin's story?" Jungkook thought for a moment, "I mean, I know the basics, but he's such a puzzle to me."

     "I am not sure who is more of a closed book, him or Namjoon." She giggled and then got serious again. "I wish I had more to tell you."

     "Doesn't he talk to you?"

     "I get certain feelings when I am around him, he has suffered in ways that I am not sure you want to know about." She nodded to herself. Noni was an empath and a healer. Most witches were, it made them very valuable to a pack. It was also her burden since she often felt the terrible things that happened to the pack members, she felt their pain both physically and mentally. "Why are you so curious about Seokjin all of a sudden?"

     Jungkook shrugged.

     "Don't worry, you're not the first to have a crush on him in this house." She smiled.

     "What? A crush..no!" He resisted, averting her gaze.

     "Don't be embarrassed, he is a very pretty man." She gushed. "If I was younger," She slipped into a quick daydream, before shaking her head and focusing back on the confused teenager, "Well enough of that."

     Seokjin walked into the room and Jungkook blushed and turned away, he really hoped that the elder hadn't heard Noni's ridiculous deduction. Seokjin walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a water, taking a long sip before noticing Jungkook sitting there.

     "Healed yet?" Seokjin asked leaning in to check out the wound.

     "I give it an hour, his healing time is improving." Noni spoke up.

     "Good, don't want to scare you off of training." Seokjin smirked and plopped down in the seat next to him.

     "Don't worry." Jungkook exchanged glances with Noni, who gave him a knowing smirk. No amount of physical treachery could scare Jungkook off of his training regimen...or his time with Seokjin.

* * *

 

http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1060712/3/


	4. Birthday Surprise

   

     Sometime around sunset on Jungkook's 18th birthday, he received a big surprise. It was the most excruciating pain he had ever felt in his life. Turns out when you turn eighteen you mutate into a huge, hairy, hungry monster. Seokjin couldn't prepare him enough for the amount of pain he was suffering through. The elder clutched Jungkook's hand letting him squeeze as hard as he needed to, wincing only slightly from the pressure.

     "Just let it happen, the more you fight it, the worse it hurts." Seokjin offered his advice, but Jungkook just wanted to kill him.

     "Fuck you!!" He howled and Seokjin laughed. "This isn't funny, aghhhh."

     "It gets easier," Seokjin assured him. "First time is always the worst."

     "I just want to rip your throat out." Jungkook grumbled.

     "Noni reckons the pain is much like childbirth." Seokjin smiled, he was not helping in the least.

     "I'm glad you find this so amusing," Jungkook yelled and dropped to his knees, ripping off his shirt, he let out a loud, terrifying growl. Seokjin backed up.

     "It's going to be the most powerful you ever felt your whole life." Seokjin beamed as he leaned up against the wall and watched Jungkook change from a human to a werewolf, he seemed to enjoy every agonizing scream Jungkook let out.

     When the change was complete, Jungkook rose up on his two hind legs, gaping over at Seokjin, saliva dripping from his powerful, sharp jaws. His eyes glowed a bright, almost neon yellow. All the younger wanted to do was kill something.

     "Follow me." Seokjin snarled and turned into a magnificent beast, effortlessly.

     They ran wild through the woods, chasing after a deer. Jungkook felt free, every single ounce of frustration, anger, lust, and all the guilt and jealousy he felt for the last 10 years powered him. He could feel the animal's heartbeat thumping inside its rib cage as he growled out, snapping his jaws at the scared animal. When they caught up to it, cornering it in a small collection of rocks inside the embankment, he could smell the blood flowing in its veins. It was pure exhilaration as he feasted on its flesh, the animalistic urges he had made him feel invigorated, like he could accomplish anything. After Jungkook had his meal, they ran off again, Seokjin next to him, chasing each other down the cliffside and into a clearing of grass. They didn't stop running until dawn.

     When Jungkook woke up the next morning, Namjoon was standing over him, smiling. He held out a pair of pants and Jungkook took them and slipped them on, slightly uncomfortable that his bits had been exposed for the world to see.

     "Welcome to the pack." Namjoon held out his hand and helped him up.

     Jungkook looked around and spotted Seokjin several feet away, still asleep, naked. His heartbeat sped up, the sight of him there, so pure and perfect...and nude, he could feel his whole body go warm.

     "Be careful, he doesn't give his heart away so easily." Namjoon handed another pair of pants to Jungkook.

     "Huh?" Jungkook was genuinely confused.

     "You don't have to be an empath to feel the elevated beating of a heart in love." Namjoon turned to walk away. "Give him the pants when he wakes up."

     What was Namjoon on about?  How could he be in love? The only time he ever spent with Seokjin was when he was teaching him how to fight, and even then they didn't talk about anything other than that or the pack. All he knew about Seokjin is that he was closed off and focused. He shook his head in disbelief, everyone was crazy.

     Back at the castle, Noni had baked him a birthday cake, lighting 18 candles up for him to blow out, Jungkook grinned from ear to ear. Every year she had baked a cake for him, but this year was more special, this year he was finally legal. He blew out the candles to a round of applause from Taehyung and Jimin, laughing at them for being their usual goofy selves. The brothers came to help him celebrate, along with some other pack members, all congratulating him on finally reaching his 'monster card status'. Jungkook looked around to see if Seokjin was there, but there was no sight of him, he pouted. Then again, he somehow knew the elder would skip this little impromptu party, he wasn't much for big crowds or celebrations. Namjoon came to have cake and stayed for a few moments before going off to do 'leader things'.

     Two hours later, the party had ended and there still was no sign of Seokjin. He was worried since the elder hadn't said much to Jungkook on their way back to the castle, he hoped that he hadn't done anything wrong to piss him off. He thanked Noni for the cake as he began to help her clean up. Taehyung invited him to go do some of those 'big boy things' he and his brother liked to do and Noni told him to go, she would finish up.

    

     The brothers had prepared a night of activities, sure to put the 'fun' in dysfunctional. Their first offense for the night - pelting people with water balloons.

     "How was the change?" Taehyung asked, water balloon in hand, he took aim at a bicyclist that was whizzing by. Pow, it hit him square on the forehead and exploded, knocking the guy off his bike, he landed hard in the dirt. He turned to curse the opposite direction from where they were hidden.

     "It hurt like hell." Jungkook grimaced and Taehyung and Jimin both laughed.

     "I cried my first time." Taehyung sighed.

     "Wuss." Jimin kidded, grabbing another water balloon. "I loved the pain."

     "That's because you're a masochist." Taehyung smacked Jimin's back hard, causing him to drop the balloon and curse his brother.

     "Seokjin was there-" Jungkook started.

     "He stayed with you?" Taehyung interrupted, in awe. "Bullshit."

     Jungkook looked at him sideways. "No, he was. Is that weird?"

     "Considering how much of a loner the bastard is, that's impressive. Our Dad refers to him as the lone wolf, the Omega." Jimin smirked. "He doesn't get close to anyone."

     "I've noticed." Jungkook leaned back against the statue they were hiding behind.

     "Who could blame him, with his history." Taehyung stated. Jimin nodded in agreement.

     "What do you mean?" Jungkook straightened back up, this was the first real thing he had heard about Seokjin since he got there.

     "Our Dad is the record keeper, not just this pack, but like all the packs." Jimin leaned in. "So we take a look from time to time."

     "They have files on the members of a den?" Jungkook pryed. 

     "Yeah, there are a lot of bad people out there, Jungkook." Taehyung informed him annoyed, like he should already know that.

     "His brother was the reason they all died." Jimin looked down. "Kind of sad."

     "His brother?" Jungkook questioned.

     "Seokjin's brother was mixed up with Jacker and his crew, they convinced him that if he gave over his human father and his brother Seokjin, that they would let him and his mother live." Taehyung started, "Least that's what the rumor is."

     "They thought they killed him, but Seokjin is on a whole nother level of badass." Jimin smirked, jealousy oozed from him.

     "What happened to his brother?" Jungkook was shocked.

     "They hung his ass at the scene, set the whole house on fire and laughed as it burn."

      "Seokjin watched from under his neighbor's porch as his family burnt to death." Taehyung uttered. "Namjoon found him nearly dead the next morning, see children aren't good healers, so it's optimal time to hit if you're going to wipe out a family."

     "You don't really start developing the positives until your 14, kinda fucked if you ask me, how all this shit works." Jimin kicked at a rock next to his foot.

     "Wow." Jungkook was at a loss for words.

     "Noni says he has a lot of guilt about it, it must suck to know your brother could betray his own family and worse, Jacker being the reason."

     "Noni knew about all this?" Jungkook asked, "She said she didn't know anything." He suddenly felt betrayed.

     "Noni knows everything, she's an empath, suspect that's much like being a mind reader at times." Taehyung pointed out. "She won't tell you anything unless Seokjin were to say it was okay."

 

     Jungkook sat in his room, pondering. Seokjin's situation was a lot like his own, but different in so many bad ways. He understood why Seokjin didn't trust anyone and kept to himself. It had to be hard to go your whole life trusting in someone that would betray you and then sit there and watch them die, all for nothing. He also understood why Seokjin was so focused, why he wanted Jungkook to be just as focused. He was determined from this point on, he wouldn't slack anymore, that he would be diligent with his training.

     A knock sounded on his door, interrupting his thoughts, he sat up.

     "It's open." He was curious as to who would be visiting him this late.

     The door opened and Seokjin strolled in. "I didn't wake you?" He asked, concealing something behind his back.

     "Nope, wide awake." Jungkook answered, wondering what Seokjin had in his hands. "What's that?"

     Seokjin threw a small box to him. Jungkook caught it, but not before it smacked him in the head. He looked at Seokjin, grimacing as he rubbed at his temple. "What's this?"

     "Open it and find out." Seokjin sat on the edge of the bed, his mood considerably happy for being so serious all the time.

     Jungkook expected something was going to jump out at him, so he slid the ribbon off carefully and peeked into the box, when nothing jumped out, he removed the lid. Inside was an emblem attached to a black rope chord. He took it out and looked at Seokjin, baffled.

     "It's the pack symbol, everyone gets one when they turn 18, when they make the change." 

     Jungkook smiled as he ran his finger along the raised part of the silver insignia. "I thought werewolves were allergic to silver." 

     "It's white gold." Seokjin took the necklace and undid the clasp, leaning over Jungkook to fasten it around his neck. Jungkook noticed a scar on Seokjin's arm he had never noticed before. Seokjin sat back down and Jungkook looked down at it, feeling the smooth metal, he had seen a tattoo like this on Namjoon's neck.

     "Thanks." He wanted to ask Seokjin about the scar, but he hesitated.

     "Problem?" Seokjin sensed Jungkook's anxiety.

     "The scar on your arm." Jungkook pointed.

     "Reminder of bad shit." Seokjin stood, a sudden chill filled the air. "I should get to bed."

     Jungkook closed his eyes, cursing himself, he pushed it too far. When opened his eyes, Seokjin had his hand on the doorknob about to open it. "Wait."

     Seokjin stopped. "What?"

     "I'm sorry if I was out of line." Jungkook stared down at the carpet, his face flushed.

     Seokjin hesitated, but then turned to him. "It's fine."

     "I just wanted to thank you for helping me through last night." He stood and walked over to Seokjin. "I owe you."

     "Not a big deal." Seokjin seemed to be avoiding eye contact with him. "I'll be in the courtyard at 8 am, if you feel up to training."

     Jungkook nodded, "I'll see you there."

     He watched Seokjin leave and then sat back down on his bed and laid back, tracing the outline of the emblem with his finger, smiling. Tomorrow he was going to prove to Seokjin that he could trust him, somehow.


	5. Trust

     The next day, Jungkook was waiting in the courtyard, he was there a half hour early, practicing some before Seokjin arrived. He was surprised at how good he had gotten, he felt natural fighting, like an instinct. Seokjin came around the corner of the building and stopped short, surprised at the sight before his eyes. He watched for a few moments as Jungkook went through some stances, fighting off invisible monsters. He smiled, the kid was learning fast, he was sure before long Jungkook would be up to his level. Jungkook removed his shirt and Seokjin's heart skipped a beat. _What the hell?_ He straightened up and cleared his throat and continued on toward Jungkook, who stopped as he saw him approach.

     "You're late." Jungkook kidded and Seokjin smirked.

     "Surprised to see you here already." Seokjin removed his own shirt and grabbed some fighting gloves.

     Jungkook tried not to stare, "I want to get serious, I want to actually fight people." Jungkook announced.

     "Oh really?" Seokjin was not convinced, he slipped on a glove.

     "Those places you go in the city, I want to go." Jungkook stopped and turned to him. The look in his eyes told Seokjin that he wasn't playing around.

     "Those guys train years before they go there, you're not ready." Seokjin advised, "Not a good idea."

     "Then let me go and watch a fight." Jungkook practically pleaded.

     "Why the sudden interest-" 

     "I knew you'd ask that." Jungkook interrupted. "Because it feels natural and I'm tired of feeling like I have no power."

     Seokjin was impressed, which confused him a bit because it seemed like nothing impressed him anymore. He looked off into the distance, pondering. Jungkook was sure he was coming up with excuses as to why he shouldn't and he was ready with a counter argument.

     "Okay." He said flatly and put on his other glove.

     "Okay? Really?" Jungkook was excited.

     "What better way for you to see what you are up against, right?" Seokjin stood in front of him. "Plus, this guy I'm fighting is pretty bad ass, I could use someone in my corner."

     Jungkook's face was contorted in shock, it was like Seokjin had practically admitted a vulnerability. Forty-five minutes later, he took that thought back, Seokjin worked him hard and his muscles ached, there was nothing vulnerable about this guy.

     "Be ready at 8, I'm leaving with or without you." He threw the gloves to Jungkook. Jungkook nodded, watching Seokjin slip on his shirt as he walked back towards the house. He wondered what the elder did all day, he knew he spent at least a few hours in the morning training and ate dinner at seven every night, but what he did in those other hours was a mystery. Jungkook also knew Seokjin didn't sleep much, he saw him on several occasions walking around the castle grounds late at night. He attempted to follow one night last week but lost him in the cemetery that sat on the far end of the grounds, just beyond the trees.

     

     Namjoon was standing at the window in his office, looking out. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, he had to squint a bit from the rays shining in at him. Seokjin walked in and shut the door, wondering why he had been summoned here. "Sit." Namjoon ordered.

     Seokjin hesitated for a moment, but then took a seat on the couch, next to the window.

     "You're taking the kid with you tonight?" Namjoon started and then turned to him, "Is that safe?"

     "You know they won't try anything with other packs there." Seokjin shifted in his seat.  "He needs to see what Jacker's goons are like."

     "Two halflings in one place is a risk, he's not like you."

     "Not yet." Seokjin assured him, a slight smile formed on his mouth.

     Namjoon looked a bit surprised at the statement, Seokjin exuded pride sitting there thinking about Jungkook, and he was never one to dote on anyone. "Half the reason he is down there training is because of you."

     "How so?" Seokjin leaned back.

     "He likes you, he wants to get close to you." Namjoon explained. "You seem to have a soft spot for him."

     "He reminds me of myself. Nothing else." Seokjin assumed he was talking about Jungkook having a 'crush' on him, he had been informed on several occasions by Noni.

     "So you're aware of-" Namjoon started.

     "I'm aware of everything," Seokjin stated and looked away. "You mistake his enthusiasm for lust."

     "Just be careful, you may know a lot of things when it comes to fighting, but you're ability to understand basic human emotions..other than hate, is questionable."

     Seokjin heard it all before, he was well aware that his drive for revenge often made him seem cold and uncaring. He didn't trust people easily and found it hard to let anyone 'in', he knew that too. He probably was a bit closer to Jungkook than he wanted to be, than he should be, if the way he acted towards Jungkook could even be considered close according to normal classification, he didn't let Jungkook in like normal people did with each other.

     "Just don't let him get hurt." Namjoon stated.

     "I won't." Seokjin looked him in the eye.

     "I'm not just talking about tonight at the fight." Namjoon was serious, his eyes glowed red.

      It was a fact that most people got frightened when Namjoon looked them in the eyes, especially when they glowed, but Seokjin did not. Namjoon worried that was what would get him killed, he was an adept warrior, one of his best 'soldiers', but he didn't fear anything, not even Jacker. Namjoon watched Seokjin amble out of his office, almost bumping into Jungkook as the younger was walking in. Jungkook stared after him as he was shutting the door.

     "Stick with him, to his side tonight. Don't wander off, don't engage anyone." Namjoon's voice projected urgency. "This place you're going to is dangerous."

     Jungkook sat down. "Okay." His voice cracked, he wanted to ask why.

     "You know that halflings aren't accepted everywhere, with every pack?" Namjoon sat down next to him. Jungkook nodded. "Seokjin is a bit reckless when it comes to these fights, he is good, probably one of the best, and that angers a lot of them."

     "I figured." Jungkook spoke softly.

     "Two halflings in one place is a big invitation for trouble, be prepared." Namjoon put his hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "Even if you see him hurt, don't engage anyone."

     Jungkook nodded, but he wasn't sure that he could keep that promise, if Seokjin was hurt, he wouldn't be able to hold back. He suddenly shuddered at the thought of seeing Seokjin fighting, he knew the elder could handle himself, but he also knew that if this other guy was as badass as Seokjin said, that he was bound to draw blood. He didn't know how he would handle seeing the elder hurt, he hoped he would keep it together and not cause any issues.

     

     Seokjin was pulling away as Jungkook was running down the stairs and out the front door, he stopped quick and Jungkook almost crashed into the car.

     "Thought you changed your mind." Seokjin threw it in drive and they sped off down to the gates. Once they were on the open road, he did 90 MPH all the way into the city. Wolf reflexes made it possible to do things normal humans couldn't, like drive fast and maneuver traffic like a pro driver. When they finally parked and got out of the car, Jungkook noticed it was much cleaner inside the building then he would have expected, but it smelled exactly like he thought it would - of sweat and blood. He noticed the envious stares as Seokjin walked past the rows of people in the audience, some stared back with disgust and hatred and Jungkook swore some of them sneered at him too, he fidgeted with the zipper on his hoodie, contemplating if he should try to blend into the background or stand up straight and walk with authority like Seokjin did, he felt the latter would just cause people to pay attention to him and cause the elder problems.

     Seokjin pushed Jungkook into a seat and took the seat next to him, setting down his duffel bag in front of him. "You okay?" Seokjin looked at Jungkook as he took out his gloves and wraps from the bag, then put them back in.

     "Yeah." Jungkook nodded, but his heartbeat suggested otherwise, truth was, he was nervous, he could feel the tension all around him and he knew if he made one wrong move, it could mean complications.

     "Relax." Seokjin put his hand Jungkook's knee, "They can sense your fear." He checked to make sure his mouth piece was in his bag. "I can practically taste it."

     Jungkook looked down, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes, he felt safer in his little imaginary bubble. Seokjin stood and motioned to someone who came over, a pair of worn sneakers were standing in front of them, Jungkook looked up as the guy sat down, wondering who the hell this guy was?

     "Watch him for me." Seokjin shouted over the noise, he was about to walk away, when Jungkook grabbed his wrist.

     "Can't I come with you?" Jungkook implored.

     "Only fighters in back, you'll be fine with Turtle." Seokjin looked to the other guy and then at Jungkook. "Wish me luck." Jungkook squeaked out a barely audible 'luck', and then looked back down at the ground.

     It seemed like forever until the current fight ended. Two guys, dubbed the cleanup crew as written on their shirts in bright red lettering, carried the loser off the floor, dragging a trail of blood behind him. The whole room was cheering out around Jungkook, either yelping in agreement or erupting in fits of disapproving yells. Jungkook felt like he was about to have an anxiety attack, only to calm down when the announcer called out Seokjin's name. Jungkook rose quickly, climbing down the metal steps for a seat closer to the floor. Seokjin came out and stood on the one side, a look of determination on his face, he was 200% focused, he did not avert his gaze from the opponent on the other side. It was an eerie feeling, Jungkook would never want to be on the receiving end of that gaze. Jungkook noticed the other guy had a lot of tattoos, he had seen a couple of those tattoos before, but he couldn't remember where.

     For a brief moment Seokjin locked eyes with Jungkook before staring down the guy again, Jungkook blushed. The bell rang out and the fight started, nothing could prepare Jungkook for what he was witnessing, he was on the edge of his seat, internally cheering the elder on. Seokjin was an animal, he slaughtered the guy in the first round, barely getting hit, just a minor cut above his eyebrow that healed almost as quickly as it appeared. Jungkook was beyond impressed, he watched in awe as Seokjin pounded the guy, like an art form, an intricate dance of thrusting forward with fists flying and dodging back, ducking out of the way to evade counter attacks like magic. It was vicious, but he couldn't get enough of badass Seokjin in his element. Jungkook watched as the guy paced the floor, waiting for the next round to start, again Seokjin staring him down so intensely that Jungkook swore he got goosebumps.

     Round 2 started, but the guy did not go towards Seokjin, he stood there for a moment before walking over to stand in front of Jungkook, his back was dripping with sweat, his odor almost unbearable. Jungkook tried to look around the guy to see Seokjin, only to jump back when the guy's face appeared in front of his own without warning, his eyes scrunched up with hatred. He smirked as he grabbed Jungkook by the neck and lifted him up out of the chair. Jungkook couldn't breath, all he could feel were the sharp claws digging into his neck and a warm liquid dripping down his chest, he tried to pry the guy's hand off of him, but he wasn't strong enough, with each attempt to remove his hands the man only gripped tighter. Seokjin bolted towards the guy, but two others had grabbed him, trying to hold him back. 

     "Little whelp, would be so easy to just kill you." The man sputtered, his fangs peeked out from behind his lip, Jungkook dangling there like a doll, his legs felt like jelly, he could no longer kick them. The man waved his clawed finger in front of Jungkook's face, "Stay with me, pretty."

     Seokjin managed to break free of the one guy, his clawed hand slicing the neck and spraying blood all over the audience. Two more people jumped forward, holding him back, one of them kicked the back of Seokjin's knees making him go down, then pulled his hair, jerking his head backward so that he had to choice but to watch Jungkook suspended, slowly getting the life choked out of him. 

     "I could let you live and you could watch your mentor die." He laughed. Jungkook squirmed some more but the guy tightened his grip, and he felt like he was about to pass out, every part of him was weak. "No, I have a better idea." The man announced as he sliced Jungkook across the face slowly, from his eyebrow to his chin, leaving a deep gash. He then threw Jungkook to the floor like a piece of trash, laughing maniacally as he turned towards Seokjin, thinking he won. Wrong.

     Seokjin became enraged, he broke free of the three men holding him, several expertly placed chops to their tender parts dropped two of the men. Jungkook grabbed at his face and backed up towards the chairs, Turtle grabbed him and shielded him from the chaos of frenzied fans yelling out, clambering around like drunken animals, fighting amongst each other, fists flying everywhere. Seokjin decimated the three guys that had held him down, blocking their attacks and firing back, assaulting them with the worst beat down they had probably ever received in their lives. Seokjin's eyes went completely black and Jungkook was scared. He watched as Seokjin ripped out the last guy's heart and threw it on the floor and stood up, wiping the sweat and blood from his face, breathing heavy. When no one else challenged him, he bent down to Jungkook checking him over quickly before scooping him up in his arms and hightailing it outside.

     In the parking lot, the windshield of their car was bashed in, the tires were flat and there was a big, gaping hole in the hood with steam pouring out.

     "Fuck." Seokjin hissed, his eyes still as jet black as they were inside. Turtle pulled up and rolled down the window.

     "Get in." He yelled and Seokjin opened the back door in a rush, dodging a stray shoe that was flung in his direction. He pushed Jungkook in, then climbed in himself, slamming the door. Turtle hit the gas and they jolted forward, a sudden flashback of when he was eight entered Jungkook's mind, as he gripped on to the seat, glancing up at the elder. Seokjin took Jungkook's face in his hand and looked at the gash, it was bleeding still, running down the younger's face and pooling in the indent just below his adam's apple. Seokjin slipped off his shirt, ripping a piece off, dabbing the blood, Jungkook winced.

     "Y-your eyes." Jungkook looked up at Jin, his eyes failed to focus, making everything blurry before rolling up into his sockets.  Jungkook passed out.

 

     When Jungkook awoke, he was in his bed, his wounded eye was stinging, making it impossible to sleep. He sat up and looked around, realizing it was dark outside, the only light in the room was from the small lamp on his nightstand. He grabbed his phone and looked at the time. 3:45 AM. He noticed Seokjin was asleep in the chair by the foot of the bed, his feet propped up on the edge of the mattress. The elder was so peaceful lying there, no shred of evidence that said he had been involved in any sort of wrongdoing earlier on. Jungkook tried not to make any noise as he stood and grabbed his blanket and placed it over Seokjin. The younger stepped back and just stared at him for a few moments, in awe.

     Downstairs in the kitchen, Noni was brewing some tea. Jungkook walked in smelling the tangy aroma of a nice pomegranate oolong. He was still slightly dazed as sat at the table, nearly missing the chair. He wondered why Noni was up so late..or early, but didn't ask, figuring it was her own business. "Why does my eye sting?" He glanced over at her as she lifted the pot from the fire and walked over to the counter where two cups were sitting upon saucers.

     "You were branded by an alpha, left you with a pretty nasty scar." She poured a cup of tea for herself and Jungkook. "It will fade a bit in time, Alpha wounds never seem to fully heal, though."

     "Is Seokjin okay?" Jungkook inquired, worried.

     "He was a mess when he brought you in, never seen him so worried in my life." She sat down, setting the cup in front of him. "Whatever happened tonight must have shaken him pretty bad."

     "Noni, when he was fighting, his eyes went black-"

     "All black?" Noni seemed concerned, "Even the sclera?"

     "Yes, is that bad?" Jungkook hoped he didn't just cause a big problem for Seokjin.

     "No of course not." She lied, faking a slight smile. "I need to bring Namjoon his tea though, I'll be back shortly." She stood, grabbing her teacup. "Stay here, drink your tea, it will help your nerves." She bowed and walked out.

     Jungkook was not about to stay put, Noni faked that smile, he was sure of it. Something was up, her concern over the blackening of Seokjin's eyes meant something and if she was headed to talk to Namjoon about it, what ever she did find out, he knew she wouldn't come back and tell him the whole truth. He tiptoed quietly along the hallway carpet, stopping around the corner to watch as Noni headed into Namjoon's office and shut the door. He snuck up to the door and placed his ear against the wood, listening.

     Inside, Namjoon was leaning over his desk as Noni approached. "It happened again, Jungkook mentioned that tonight during the fight, Seokjin's eyes went black."

     "I was informed by Turtle earlier tonight, so I did some searching. Seems his father wasn't human like we all thought. I think Jacker knew this as well."

     "You think this is the reason Jacker killed them all?" Noni asked concerned.

     "I have no doubt." He sat down and sighed. "If I'm right, his father was a shapeshifting demon, known as the Onyx."

     "I have never heard of this species?" Noni looked at him curious.

     "I don't know much about them, the bestiary in the library had the page missing, I suspect for a good reason."

     "The first time his eyes went black, he nearly killed ten of your men, he seemed to be able to control it more tonight." Noni commented, deep in thought.

     "I suspect it had something to do with Jungkook." Namjoon sighed again. "I need you to contact your brother in Russia, if anyone knows anything about the Onyx, it's him."

     "I can be on the next plane tomorrow." She nodded.

     "Meanwhile don't tell Jungkook anything about it, he need not worry the pack right now."

     Jungkook was seated and sipping his tea, innocently, when Noni returned. She smiled at him. He was quite good now at hiding his emotions from her, but he felt like she suspected him when he smiled back at her. She went back to the teapot and filled a cup for herself again.

     "Thanks for the tea." Jungkook stood.

     "Don't mention the eyes to anyone." She turned to him, "What Namjoon said needs to stay quiet for now."

     Jungkook's wide eyes were met by a smirk and he nodded, defeated. She was on to him. She smiled to herself as he walked from the room, a sour look on his face.

     When Jungkook got back to his room, Seokjin was still asleep. Jungkook sat on his bed, admiring the elder's features, every part of him straight out of a fashion magazine - his soft full lips, perfectly sculpted cheek bones, smooth flawless complexion - no one who looked at this man would guess that he could have had killed five men tonight, so effortlessly, and all because he knew Jungkook was in trouble. He had never seen anything so grand in his life, he had a new respect for Seokjin. Jungkook smiled, feeling a tingling in his eye, he reached up, patting the scar that now covered half his face.

     "Don't touch it." Seokjin's right eye was open, glaring at him.

     "You're awake." Jungkook sat upright.

     "You're okay?" Seokjin asked, standing and leaning over to inspect the scar on Jungkook's face. 

     "You saved my life tonight." Jungkook looked Seokjin in the eyes, the younger's heart was beating fast.

      "Now you know what you're up against." Seokjin stood upright. "Those were some of Jacker's best men."

     "And you took them on like they were nothing..how?" Jungkook looked up at him, impressed.

     Seokjin looked at the ceiling for a moment, and Jungkook swore he saw tears welling up in the elder's eyes. "Hatred is powerful." Seokjin met his gaze once more. "Fear of what they were going to do to you." He looked away, not able to find the words to express what he was feeling.

     Jungkook stood, facing Seokjin, they were the same height now. "I'm sorry." Jungkook felt guilty, like this was all his fault for wanting to come.

     "It's not your fault." Seokjin reassured him. They stared at each other for a moment, before Seokjin looked away. "I should go get some sleep."

     Jungkook didn't want him to leave, he looked down at the floor trying to hide his disappointment, taking in a deep breath. Seokjin lifted Jungkook's head to meet his eyes.

     "Do you want me to stay with you?" Seokjin swallowed hard, as if wishing he didn't just say that.

     Jungkook felt even more guilty for saying yes and watched as Seokjin grabbed the blanket and sat back down in the chair.

     "You can share the bed if you like-" Jungkook sunk down on the mattress, bouncing slightly. "It's big."

     Seokjin rested his feet on the foot of the bed and laid his head back, closing his eyes. "Get some sleep." He mumbled.

     Jungkook sprawled out, settling down on his side after a few moments of trying to get comfortable, he lifted the blanket and slid inside his little cocoon, raising the warm fluffiness over him, he looked at Seokjin and yawned. "Good night."

     Jungkook tossed and turned for several hours, tilting his head to check on Seokjin every so often, before falling asleep himself. He jolted awake twice as he relived  the night's events in his nightmare.


	6. Discovery

     A week later, Jungkook's scar was the best it was going to look, it was still visible, but mostly healed. He thought it made him look both hideous and tough at the same time. He hadn't seen Seokjin since that night he slept in his chair, he wasn't even training, Seokjin never went days without training.. Noni was in Russia with her brother and Namjoon wouldn't take time to see him, he was feeling a bit cut off and lonely. He had had enough today and decided to find Taehyung and Jimin and do something fun.

     Taehyung was sitting on the roof, chucking bits of shingle off, looking rather perturbed. Jungkook sat down.

     "What's up?" Jungkook asked.

     "Bored, you?" Taehyung looked over at him, "Woh, nice scar." He straightened up and came closer, examining it. "I heard you got branded. Damn, does it hurt?"

     "Not anymore." Jungkook felt oddly unique and important.

     "I didn't know if the rumors were true, heard Seokjin killed 4 alphas, but thought it had to be an exaggeration?"

     "I don't know what the others were, but the alpha that did this, he tore out his heart, it was freakin' awesome." Jungkook smiled.

     "That's crazy." Taehyung bumped fists with him.

     "Where's Jimin?" Jungkook noticed the mention of his brother's name made Taehyung stop smiling.

     "He's out with that stupid girl, Meredith." He rolled his eyes. "She isn't even a werewolf, Jungkook."

     Jungkook couldn't help but smile.  "Sorry." He sympathized. 

     Taehyung sighed. Jungkook looked down at the gates and noticed Seokjin rolling up in his car, he must have had it fixed, maybe that's why he had disappeared, Jungkook hoped. He watched as the car pulled up to the house and the elder got out. Seokjin looked up at him, Jungkook waved, but Seokjin just walked inside, ignoring him. Jungkook sighed.

     "You like Seokjin?" Taehyung's face lit up.

     "He's my mentor, why wouldn't I like him?" Jungkook was purposely playing dumb, he could sense Taehyung was giving him a scandalous look. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something." He quickly changed the subject.

     "What?" Taehyung moped again.

     "Have you ever heard of a demon called the Onyx?" 

     "Onyx?" He scratched his head and drifted off into thought. "Kind of sounds familiar, not sure, why?"

     "Can you find out?" Jungkook avoided telling him the reason, for now.

     "Yeah, if not me, then Jimin, he's a good at hacking things." Taehyung smiled. "Give me a few days."

     "Okay, thanks." Jungkook stood, "Gonna go try to catch up with Seokjin, need to ask him something."

 

     Seokjin was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, mug in one hand and phone in the other. He looked up as Jungkook came in and quickly back down at his phone.

     "Hey-" Jungkook greeted.

      "Can't talk." Seokjin put the cup down, his phone in his pocket and walked past Jungkook, who grabbed his arm to stopped him.

     "Why are you avoiding me?" Jungkook snapped.

     "I'm not avoiding you." Seokjin turned around to face him.

     "Yeah you are," Jungkook whined. "What did I do wrong?"

     Seokjin didn't know how to answer that and Jungkook could seem him fidgeting. "Nothing, just have shit to do." He looked at Jungkook sternly, hoping Jungkook would take the hint that he was not in the mood for confrontation.

     "You never skip training, I've been out there busting my ass alone," Jungkook complained, getting a big angrier than he intended.

     "I'll make sure someone comes out to train with you-"

     "I don't want to train with someone else, I want to train with you." Jungkook ranted at him.

     "What do you want me to do, I can't." Seokjin snapped back.

     "What the fuck is your problem?" Jungkook was getting heated, he felt like his blood was actually boiling. "You never let anyone in, it's bullshit."

     "You don't know what the hell you're talking about, just back off." Seokjin pushed him back.

     Jungkook wasn't about to be pushed around, he lost it and drew back his fist and socked Seokjin straight in the jaw, the elder's head flew back and he grabbed his jaw, in shock. "You're an asshole." Jungkook spat and walked out.

     Seokjin straightened himself up and scoffed, "What the fuck?" He muttered to himself, determined to hunt the kid down and tell him off.

     When Seokjin caught up to Jungkook, he was nearing the castle grounds graveyard, he grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, tears had formed in the younger's eyes.

     "Leave me alone," Jungkook yelled and turned back around to walk, but Seokjin ran ahead, cutting him off, Jungkook stopped walking and stared up at Seokjin's face, that was now inches from his own.

     "I'm sorry." Seokjin's was wrought with sadness, he sat down on the grave in front of him, defeated. 

     "I don't care." Jungkook looked at him, he was so angry with Seokjin, he felt as though he might hurt him.

     "Monday was the anniversary of..."He stopped, taking a deep breath. "My families death." He stared down at the ground.

     Jungkook instantly felt horrible. "Shit.." He plopped down on the grave next to Seokjin. "I didn't know."

     "It never bothered me before," Seokjin started and glanced over at Jungkook, a fresh crease of worry wrinkled his features. "But the whole thing with you kind of freaked me out."

     Jungkook had never seen Seokjin show such emotion, all he wanted to do was hug him, but he knew Seokjin would probably reject it. "I'm okay, it mostly healed."

     "I don't like people Jungkook, I made myself not want to get close to anyone on purpose." He looked away, trying to find the words to express himself. 

     "I know, everyone knows that," Jungkook stated, confused as to why the elder would be telling him this.

     "I told myself I wouldn't get close to you either." He clenched his jaw and Jungkook could feel the turmoil Seokjin was feeling, but what exactly did he mean?

     "It's okay to have friends, you can trust me." Jungkook hesitantly put his hand on Seokjin's shoulder. "I'm not like your brother."

     Seokjin's head snapped towards Jungkook, his mouth wide open, "What?" His gaze turned angry.

     Jungkook realized he wasn't supposed to know about Seokjin's brother. _Fuck._ He removed his hand and stood up. "Nothing."

     "How do you know about my brother?" Seokjin got in his face, the elder's breath was hot against his nose. "Who told you? Noni?"

     "No, no one, it's not important." Jungkook stuttered.

     Seokjin grabbed Jungkook by both his shoulder and squeezed, leaving imprints in his skin. "What do you know?"

     "That hurts." Jungkook whimpered, but Seokjin only tightened the grip. "Stop!"

      "What do you know?" Seokjin shook him.

      Jungkook's shoulders were aching and he noticed Seokjin's eyes start to darken. "I know everything." Jungkook sputtered, terrified.

     Seokjin pushed him hard and he fell on his ass on the ground, he stared up at Seokjin in dismay. "You don't know shit," Seokjin yelled at him. He turned to rip a tombstone from the ground and Jungkook scrambled to stand.

     "I'm s-sorry-" Jungkook cried, tears streaming down his face. Seokjin turned to look at him and his eyes were completely black, he felt his knees buckle, all he wanted to do was turn and run.

     "Leave!" Seokjin growled.

     Jungkook slowly backed away, his hands held up in front of him to let Seokjin know he wasn't a threat, he then turned and ran full speed back to the castle. He could hear the anguished screams of Seokjin turning into his werewolf form, the screams turned to growls and he knew he was now being hunted. He ran into the castle and slammed the door, leaning against it, as if the little body weight that he had would be a match for what was about to come through that door. Namjoon hurried into the room, worried.

     "What happened?" Namjoon went to Jungkook, he could see he was scared for his life. His question was quickly answered when there was loud banging and scratching against the door, the demented growls and grunts muffled only by the thin wood of the doors.

     "Se-Seokjin, he's m-mad." Jungkook backed away from the door, hyperventilating. Namjoon flung the door's open, Jungkook jumped back and hid behind the statue to his left. Seokjin bolted in and Namjoon grabbed him, Jungkook didn't know who to fear more, he watched as Namjoon effortlessly took Seokjin down and held him on the floor, twitching wildly as he tried to break free.

     "Seokjin! Get a hold of yourself." Namjoon applied more pressure and was scratched a few times from Seokjin's flailing. After a short while, he stopped moving and Jungkook thought Namjoon had killed him, especially when he turned back to his human form and still didn't move. "You good?"

     Seokjin covered his face with his hands and mumbled a faint, "Yes."  Namjoon helped him up and they left the room. Jungkook felt guilty, he had made Seokjin so angry, this outburst was all his fault. Namjoon returned moments later and went to Jungkook, grabbing him and examining him for wounds.

     "Are you okay?" Namjoon asked, distraught.

     "Y-yeah, is he?" Jungkook was more concerned at the moment for Seokjin than himself.

     "Just stay away from him for a bit." Namjoon suggested, "Whatever happened out there, he's upset with himself, let him come to you. Okay?"

     "I'm not sure I want him to." Jungkook regretted the words the moment he said them, behind Namjoon standing in the doorway, stood Seokjin. The elder's face sunk as he backed out of the doorway and disappeared back down the hallway.

 

     It was another week before Jungkook saw Seokjin again, and it was only a glimpse from his bedroom as he watched Seokjin walk off towards the graveyard. Half of him wanted to follow, the other half was glad Seokjin had left him alone. He didn't like feeling so scared and helpless, nor did he appreciate that the elder had lost control with him, Seokjin was supposed to be better than this. 

     A knock sounded on his door and Noni stepped in quickly.

     "I need to talk to you," Noni informed him as she shut the door.

     "You're back?!" It was more of a statement than a question. "What did you find out?"

     "It's important that you go to him, don't let him be alone." She insisted and Jungkook was confused.

     "I can't say much, I promised Namjoon, but you just need to let him know, no matter what, you're still there for him. Can you do that?" Noni asked.

     "Y-yeah, sure." Jungkook tried to be nonchalant, but he was positive that Noni could feel all his emotions. "Yeah."

     Noni gave him a warm smile as she patted him on the back, then excused herself. Jungkook was perplexed, now more than ever. He decided he was going to join Seokjin in the graveyard after all.

     On the way to the stairs, Taehyung grabbed his arm and pulled him into an empty bedroom. Jungkook smacked him for scaring the life out of him.

     "I found out what you wanted to know." Taehyung didn't seem amused.

     "About the onyx?" Jungkook remembered that he had asked Taehyung to do some research for him. Taehyung nodded. "Is it that bad?" Jungkook could sense that whatever the Onyx were, must have been pretty bad judging by the look on Taehyung's face.

     "Noni was right, don't leave him alone for too long, especially since I think he bonded with you." Taehyung advised, "He's in the graveyard."

     "What is going on?" Jungkook was getting slightly annoyed at how vague everyone was being. Taehyung took out some rolled up papers from his jacket and handed them to him. 

     "I would read it alone though, I don't think Seokjin knows what he is." Taehyung put his hand on Jungkook's shoulder and sighed. "Good luck."

     Jungkook watched as Taehyung left the room, he looked at the papers in his hand, tempted to read them now, but instead stuck them in his pocket and walked out of the house, heading to the graveyard. His first priority was to make sure Seokjin was okay.


	7. Friendship

     Jungkook noticed Seokjin was standing over a set of headstones, just staring down. He slowly approached, careful not to scare him.

     "My parents." He said not turning to face Jungkook. Jungkook wasn't shocked that the elder knew he was there, he went to stand next to him, glaring down at the headstones, he noticed something was a bit peculiar.

     "Your parents had the same birthday?" Jungkook noticed aloud.

     "Yeah, weird I know."  Seokjin turned his head to look at Jungkook, who returned his gaze. Jungkook was jittery, Seokjin knew it was because he was expecting that he could get attacked for no good reason...again. It made him felt guilty, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

     "I know," Jungkook stated, despite what his nerves said. "I'm sorry I made you mad."

     "Don't apologize, you have nothing to be sorry about, I should be telling you how sorry I am." Seokjin looked away, ashamed.

     Jungkook shrugged, "It's not like I purposely wanted to be in your business." Well, deep down he did, but he wasn't going to admit that.

     "Taehyung and Jimin no doubt." Seokjin smirked, "They seem to know way more than they should."

     Jungkook felt a bit awkward, he was scared he would say something wrong, but there was also so much he wanted to say, he needed to say.

     "I wasn't sure if I should stick around here," Seokjin admitted, looking at Jungkook once again.

     "You can't leave!" Jungkook exclaimed, shaking his head. "Don't leave."

     "Besides you and Namjoon, I don't really have a reason to stay." He confided, "Maybe Noni-"

     "You don't need anyone else. Please, Seokjin...you're my favorite person here," Jungkook pleaded. "You're the only reason I am who I am."

     "Contrary to what you may believe, you're a better person without my influence." Seokjin turned to him.

     "I don't care, you leave and I'll track you down, you'll never have one moment's peace." He was adamant, a serious look on his face. Seokjin had to chuckle.

     "I'm sorry I've been such a dick to you." Seokjin moved the hair from Jungkook's eyes and quickly drew his hand back. "You didn't deserve it."

     Jungkook could feel himself blushing, looking into Seokjin's eyes, the elder was being so sincere. At that moment, he knew he was in love with this guy standing before him and he guessed he should just embrace what everyone else already knew, even if Seokjin didn't return the feelings, he was okay with that for now. He had no good reason for loving him so much, the elder had been a dick to him for the last 10 years, it was true. He was also closed off tighter than a clam in its shell, but Jungkook didn't care, Seokjin was beautiful, he was smart and he was the strongest person he ever knew, physically and mentally.

     Seokjin looked at Jungkook, what was it about the younger that weakened him so much? When that alpha had him by the throat, he had never been so scared in his life, he didn't even care if he died that night, so long as he knew Jungkook was safe. Why did Jungkook put up with his shit? He noticed how handsome Jungkook had gotten in the last year, he had really grown into a man. _When did that happen?_ His eyes stopped on the scar upon Jungkook's face, the scar made him seem even older, Seokjin smiled.

     "What?" Jungkook asked, self-conscious, knowing that Seokjin was staring at his scar.

     Seokjin looked down, nervous, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry." He turned back to the headstone, not sure what to make of these feelings.

     "Are you drunk?" Jungkook joked.

     "Yeah, maybe." Seokjin laughed. "We should get back up to the house."

     "So, truce?" Jungkook held out his hand.

     Seokjin looked down at Jungkook's extended hand and smiled, then pulled him into a hug. Every bit of Jungkook tingled, Seokjin had never hugged him before, the only physical contact they ever had was when they were training and that usually ended in pain. Seokjin surprised himself and he quickly let go, his face burning red - he wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or the fact that when he hugged Jungkook, something inside him felt...alive. _You're making an idiot of yourself._ He turned around and focused back on his parents' graves for a moment, trying to think of anything to alleviate this awkwardness he brought upon himself.

     "Come on, it's almost seven, Noni will have my dinner ready." Seokjin started to walk. Jungkook's face filled with a gigantic grin as he jogged to catch up.

 

     Jungkook had a nice dinner with Noni and Seokjin, he really loved her spaghetti and meatballs. Apparently, it was Seokjin's favorite, as he learned from witnessing the elder gobble down 3 helpings. After dinner, he walked Seokjin to his room and told him he'd better be at training tomorrow or he would come kick his ass, then stood there, arms crossed, as Seokjin cracked up in a fit of laughter when he closed his doors.  When Jungkook finally got to his own room, he went straight to the bed and pulled the rolled up papers Taehyung had given him earlier, from his jacket. He sat down and unrolled them, slipping off his shoes, getting comfortable. It was a copy of the Onyx description from a bestiary.

     He began to read:   _An Onyx is a rare species of demon, best not encountered, as most people only see one moments before death. Its extreme anger makes it a very difficult beast to contain. Most Onyx are put to death before they reach puberty, as an adult onyx, if not surrounded by a loving family, can become unstable and deadly._ Jungkook looked at the picture of a full grown onyx. He shuddered. _Most onyx are bred with other species for fighting and guard capabilities, as they are often highly skilled in the art of combat. When an Onyx is at its full peak, the darkened eyes, both iris and sclera match the pupil in full black. This is when they are known to go into a blind rage and decimate anything and everything in their path. When an Onyx is desolate and alone, they tend to slip into a path of destruction. If an Onyx feels as though they have nothing to live for, they often become suicidal and dangerous to anyone around them._ Jungkook skipped to the second page _. Onyx bonds. If an Onyx bonds with someone, they will stop at nothing to protect this person. They do not take to others easily, so a bond with an Onyx is for life._ Jungkook smiled.He wondered if Seokjin had bonded with him.  He also wondered how different Onyx half breeds were compared to a full breed. Seokjin seemed able to control his rage sometimes, while other times, not so much. He also wondered why Jacker was so threatened by Seokjin's family that he was willing to kill them in cold blood, and not just kill them, but burn their bodies. He wondered if Seokjin's Dad was a full breed or half breed. He had so many questions and he wondered if Noni would be truthful to him if he asked. He decided maybe Taehyung was a better source to go to. He rolled the papers back up and set them on his night stand then laid back, deep in thought.

     It was shortly after 2 A.M. and Jungkook could not sleep, he decided to take a walk outside to get some fresh air. The night was a bit chilly for Summer, he wished he had brought his jacket and almost jumped out of his skin when Seokjin reached over his shoulder and handed him a hoodie.

     "Thanks." Jungkook slipped on the hoodie. It smelled like the elder and he tried not to make it too apparent that he was sniffing the garment.

     Seokjin nodded. "What are you doing up?"

     "Couldn't sleep." He leaned against the building looking up at the moon, it was nearly full.

     "I've kind of been craving deer." Seokjin looked up at the moon too.

     Jungkook looked over at him. Seokjin smirked, they had been thinking the exact same thing.

     "I'll have one before you even make the change." Seokjin laughed.

     "You wish." Jungkook challenged him.

   

     The morning sun sat on Jungkook's eyelids like a light bulb had popped on in his sockets, he had to shield his eyes as he slowly sat up. His whole body ached like someone had turned him into a ninety-year-old man as a cruel joke. Honestly, he hated changing but loved the power of it. Oh yes, the power of it all made every ounce of pain worth it. 

     "Morning." Seokjin glanced over and gave him a nod. Seokjin was sitting on a giant boulder, already dressed, looking out at the trees over the ridge, it was a vast forest spread out before them, the perfect spot to camp for a night. He stared at the elder, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't wearing any clothes, Jungkook scooped up the pair of pants that were sitting next to him and slipped them on as he stood. He traipsed over to the rock, careful not to step on any pointy leaves or rocks with his bare feet. It was peaceful out here, and quiet. The familiar chirping of morning crickets off in the distance was the only thing he could hear. Seokjin looked down at Jungkook and smiled to himself.

     "You have dirt on your cheek." Seokjin pointed at Jungkook's cheek.

     Jungkook would never get used to waking up in the dirt every morning after. He wiped the spot, but it just smeared it more. Seokjin smiled.

     "Come here," He shook his head and grabbed Jungkook's head with one hand and took the sleeve of his shirt and wiped the dirt off. He could feel Jungkook's heartbeat speed up, even more, he could feel his own heartbeat speed up. Jungkook felt it too.

     "Done." He announced but didn't remove his hand from Jungkook's face. Jungkook never wanted to kiss anyone so bad.

     The sound of a siren interrupted their moment, Jungkook and Seokjin both looked towards the way of the castle.

     "What is that?" Jungkook questioned, looking at Seokjin.

     "Trouble, come on." Seokjin jumped down off the rock and took off running, Jungkook followed behind, fighting to keep up.

 

     When they arrived back to the castle, dense clouds of smoke were pouring out of the front entrance, both of the doors had been ripped from their hinges, but nothing inside was visible - it was like a void had swallowed it up. Seokjin held his arm up to Jungkook's chest to stop him from going in, it wasn't safe, any number of monsters could be inside. He bent down to what was left of the one door laying next to the steps, he traced the giant gaping hole with his finger - someone had put their first through it.  They exchanged concerned glances, the sounds of a house getting invaded rang out from within- bangs and pops and fighting grunts. Jungkook watched as Seokjin's eyes turned black again, like an ink sack had been stabbed and leaked into his eyeballs, with only a glimmer of sun to offset the charcoal color. 

     "Stay here," Seokjin growled and Jungkook nodded. He watched as Seokjin disappeared inside, he was scared for the elder, nervous pangs kept poking at him from his insides, warning him to move, to help. He looked towards the gates and noticed that the two guards that were usually standing there, were on the ground, he presumed dead. The gates were flung open, an abandoned white van crashed through the iron bars, blocking the driveway, all the doors left open like someone had exited it a hurry with a single goal on their minds- murder. He wasn't going to wait there and let Seokjin deal with whatever was inside by himself.

     He stepped inside slowly, the entire room was filled with smoke, making it near impossible to see. He covered his mouth, coughing a bit while he swatted away the smoke that swirled around him as he cut through it with his body. He spotted Taehyung leaning up against the wall hanging off the first step on the staircase, a bloody wound was staining his shirt red. He sprinted over to him and grabbed his hand, shaking him lightly.

     "Taehyung," Jungkook whispered. Taehyung opened his eyes, groggy.

     "Jungkook?" He whimpered weakly.

     "What happened?" Jungkook looked down at his wound to try to assess the damage. He noticed there was a small silver dagger still stuck in Taehyung's stomach.

     "I ca-can't heal, pull it out." Taehyung's head flew back as Jungkook pulled the dagger out, he screamed in pain.

     "Shit, sorry." Jungkook threw the dagger down like it was made of hot coals, wiping the warm stickiness from his hands off on his pants, "So much blood..."

     "Go find Jimin." Taehyung pushed him towards the stairs, coughing up a bit of blood. "Hurry."

     Jungkook nodded. He screwed his eyes, trying to peer up the stairs for any signs of life. He heard Noni scream off in the distance. _Noni_. It sounded as if it came from the library, but he had to focus on finding Jimin first. He scrambled up the stairs, not knowing what to expect. At the top, there were several dead bodies sprawled out, Jungkook had no clue if they were pack members or the enemy. He stepped over them not looking down, his stomach was in knots, ready to react if anyone came at him. He crept down the hallway sticking tight to the wall, a loud crashing sounded downstairs and he jumped, swishing his head around to make sure no one had snuck up behind him. The noise was horrid, it was like someone was breaking a bunch of windows at once. He had to block it out, focus on where he was going. He swung the door to the first room open and glanced in, Jimin was laying face down in the middle of the room. 

     "Jimin!" Jungkook hurried over to him. He was just unconscious, no wounds, no blood. He lifted Jimin up over his shoulder and carried him down the stairs, pulling Taehyung up by the arm, the two of them headed into the kitchen, he sat Jimin down in the pantry and pushed Taehyung over to sit down beside his brother, Taehyung's hand was covered in blood as he clutched his stomach. "Stay here."

     Jungkook walked over and grabbed the huge butcher knife from the block next to the stove and handed it to Taehyung. "I'll be back soon." He assured him as he closed the door. He had no clue where Noni or Namjoon could be, or where Seokjin headed off to.

     When Jungkook reached the main hall again, a man stepped out of the smoke, his glowing yellow eyes focused on the younger, snarling at him. Jungkook stopped short. The man rushed towards him swinging, and Jungkook went into fighting stance, blocking the punches he threw, countering with several hard blows to the man's face. The man drew his arm back and sliced Jungkook across his bare chest, but the younger was unfazed. Jungkook grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him into the wall, causing a few of the paintings to fall off their nails and crash to the floor. He watched as the man slid down the wall unconscious and landed in a heap. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the silver dagger he had pulled from Taehyung earlier laying on the carpet, shimmering as the sunlight hit it. He reached down and picked it up, a murderous feeling washed over him as he gripped the man's hair and pulled his head back. Junkook licked his lips, his heart was beating fast, every ounce of him wanting to take this man out. He plunged the dagger into the man's head and backed up to watch as he twitched, his life fading away...

     "Jungkook!" Noni screamed from behind, he snapped his attention to her and rushed over, she was frantic. "Namjoon is downstairs, find him, quickly. Bring him to me."  Jungkook knew something terrible had happened.

     Jungkook helped her into the pantry next to Taehyung and Jimin. Noni bent down and tended to Jimin as he closed the door once again. Jungkook had never been downstairs, it was always off limits to young people, for all he knew it could hold a moat full of radioactive material. He dashed down the stairs, stopping at the bottom, he looked both left and right; there were two corridors leading off the small room. The walls were stained with blood all around him and several bodies were scattered on the floor, resting in pools of fresh crimson. He had no clue where Namjoon could be or if he was even still down here. He took a deep breath and headed down the left corridor, trying several doors, they were locked. He stopped at the door to the last room, reaching down, he slowly turned the handle. It opened. He gave it a good push, watching as the door hit the wall. The room was pitch black and he was sure that no one was inside until he saw a pair of glowing red eyes.

     "Jungkook." A voice growled from inside. Jungkook had heard this voice before and his mind filled with a flashback of his eight-year-old self hiding in the bushes. This couldn't be Jacker, why would Jacker be here? The eyes inched closer, gliding towards him like what ever they belonged to was floating forward, coming to steal his soul. Jungkook backed up until he hit the wall. Thump. He couldn't go any further.

     "Don't," Jungkook yelled out. 

     "Jungkook, do you remember me?" Jacker laughed.  He let out a fierce growl and Jungkook covered his ears, the sound was deafening. The red eyes turned into normal human eyes as the face came from the darkness into the lighted corridor, before him stood a heavily scarred man, dressed in all black, with long black hair that was pulled back from his face. Jacker flashed his teeth as he inched towards Jungkook's face, taunting him.

     "Stay back." Jungkook could only mutter as Jacker pressed his forehead to Jungkook's, he was frozen in place, unable to move, unable to make a sound.

     "Jungkook, this is inevitable for us, you knew this day would come." He laughed, but it sounded more like a terrible, loud grunt. "Your Mom knew it would too, she tried to hide you from the world, but nothing can hide what you are."

     "What are you talking about?" Jungkook's sudden anger snapped him from his stupor, he balled up his fists, ready to defend himself.

     "You should ask Noni and Namjoon about the reason they were there that night your parents were killed." Jacker grinned, the sort of shit-eating grin that told Jungkook this man was a little too arrogant for his own good. "Haven't you ever pondered in that dimwitted little mind of yours, why he was there?"

     Jungkook didn't think much about that fact and wondered what the hell Jacker was trying to get at, but before he could ask, a giant blur tackled Jacker to the ground and they rolled over several times before he could make out that it was Namjoon. Jacker stood up and the two of them faced each other, both of their eyes filled with hatred. 

     "I'll kill you," Jacker announced, a deep hue of anger etched on his face. Namjoon growled loudly, it echoed through the hallway, rumbling the walls. Jungkook watched Jacker turn a funny shade of pale, he  _was_  actually scared of Namjoon. He turned tail and took off running down the corridor like a terrified little bunny staring down a fox, Jungkook was in awe at the ease in which Jacker cowered to Namjoon.

      Namjoon turned to look at Jungkook, about to speak, but the younger grabbed his wrist and began to pull him towards the stairs, remembering the reason he was down here in the first place. "Noni needs you now.." Jungkook released Namjoon's wrist and they hurried back down the corridor. When they reached the kitchen, Namjoon helped Noni out of the pantry, followed by a still dazed Jimin who pulled Taehyung up.

     "It's Seokjin.." Noni exclaimed, "I have never seen anything like this."

     Jungkook turned to Noni, his heart sank. What happened to Seokjin? Was he hurt? Was he dead?

     "Where is he?" Namjoon asked. 

     "Library," Noni announced and Jungkook tore down the hallway at full speed and straight to the library. He threw open the doors, seeing the elder laying on his stomach on the floor, Jungkook ran to him and knelt down to turn him over, looking up as Namjoon and Noni hurried into the room.

     "What's wrong with him?" Jungkook stammered and looked to Namjoon as he knelt down on the other side of Seokjin.

     Seokjin was unconscious, a black liquid was trickling out of his mouth, ears, and nose. His skin was a pale grey, and his fingernails had turned black. The veins in his neck were dark, tainted with some sort of poison. Namjoon checked for a pulse, it was faint. Taehyung appeared in the doorway, followed by Jimin who bumped into him as he stopped.

     "What is this?" Noni's face filled with an uneasiness, overcome with a sense of woe that her empath senses produced.

     Taehyung stood hovering just behind Namjoon, staring down at Seokjin. "He's poisoned." Taehyung pointed out. "If he doesn't get an antidote of atropine, he's going to die in a few hours."

      _Wolfsbane. He was poisoned with wolfsbane._ Jungkook remembered reading about it, he didn't remember reading about a reaction like this though.

     "Wolfsbane," Taehyung confirmed.

     "Are you sure?" Namjoon questioned.

     "It can make werewolves extremely sick, but to an Onyx, it's fatal," Taehyung explained.

     "Can you get some atropine?" Namjoon asked.

     "Yeah, I think so." Taehyung nodded, "Get him in a bath, keep his temperature down." He advised and then made a hasty retreat. Jungkook didn't wait, he scooped Seokjin up and headed straight for the bathroom, Jimin had the cold water running when Jungkook climbed in, cradling Seokjin in his arms. Seokjin's body was burning up, so much so that Jungkook stopped shivering just from having the elder against him. Noni rushed in with a wet washcloth, ice cubes wrapped inside, she held it to his head and exchanged worried glances with Jungkook.

     Ten minutes later, Namjoon burst in carrying a syringe, Taehyung stood in the doorway as Namjoon administered the shot. Seokjin began to convulse violently, his body thrashing about, spilling water out over the sides and soaking their shoes, it took all of Jungkook's strength to hold him.

     "Hold him tight," Taehyung advised Jungkook and the younger wrapped his legs around Seokjin tight for more control, trying to stop the thrashing. It continued for a good two minutes before he stopped moving. Jungkook looked up at them scared for a moment, thinking he died. He was relieved when Seokjin gasped, drawing in a sharp breath, he opened his eyes, confused.

     "Welcome back." Namjoon breathed a sigh of relief, he placed his hand on Seokjin's shoulder and squeezed, then got up and left the room quickly, he had to make a call to Abram.

     Seokjin looked at Jungkook, then at Noni. "What happened?"

     Noni sat on the edge of the tub, feeling his head for a temperature. "What do you last remember?"

     "I was in the library fighting someone and then I felt..." He struggled to remember, "A sharp prick in my back."

     Seokjin attempted to stand up, but fell back dizzy, splashing Jungkook's face with the now luke warm water.

     "Jungkook, get him into bed, I will be up shortly to check on him." She walked to the door, "I need to speak with my brother too." She pushed past Taehyung, whom she locked arms with and dragged with her.

     Jungkook climbed out of the tub, dripping water all over the floor, nearly slipping as he turned to Seokjin, he offered his hand and pulled him up out of the water, moving a towel over with his foot so they wouldn't fall. He lifted him over his shoulders and out they went, Seokjin tried to protest, but Jungkook shushed him several times on the way to the elder's room. He helped him off with his clothing and into something dry, then propped his pillows up on his bed and helped the elder to lay down.

      "Thanks." Seokjin murmured as Jungkook pulled the blankets up to cover him. He left the room and came back a few minutes later in fresh dry clothes himself. He grabbed the chair across the room and pulled it over beside the bed by Seokjin's head and sat. "You don't have to stay, I'm okay."

     "Shut up." Jungkook wasn't having any of his macho bullshit today. He wasn't leaving his side. "I'm not leaving, so don't even ask."

     Seokjin looked up him wide-eyed.

     "Problem?" Jungkook sassed, smirking. 

     Alas, Seokjin didn't have the strength to protest.

     He was relieved that Seokjin was going to be okay, he felt like he was about to break down but knew he had to remain strong, he couldn't allow himself to taint the mood even more.

     "You are stubborn, I taught you well." Seokjin joked, turning over on his side to face Jungkook. He squeezed the younger's hand, "Don't worry."

     Jungkook knew the elder was going to recover with a good night's rest. He wasn't so sure he could live with himself if Seokjin was kept in the dark any longer.

     "Tomorrow, we have some shit to figure out." Jungkook propped his feet up on the bed, leaning his head back on the chair. "I think it's time you know what you are."

     Seokjin looked at him puzzled, but he was too exhausted to have a conversation or to even worry about what Jungkook meant, he just wanted to drift off to sleep and not wake up for at least 12 hours. He slowly closed his eyes, falling asleep moments later. Jungkook didn't take his eyes off him the whole night. 


	8. Truth

   

     Seokjin's eyes shot open, awoken suddenly from a nightmare, he blinked them eyes several times, weary. It was the still the middle of the night as he could spot the moonlight shining through the curtains, illuminating the room just enough to cast everything in shadows. To his left, Jungkook was sprawled out on the bed, laying diagonal with his feet resting over Seokjin's. He laughed to himself. Jungkook somehow ended up in the bed with him and why he wasn't kicking him off really made it apparent at how close he was to Jungkook. He would never allow anyone else even to be in the same room and now the younger was not only taking care of him, but also taking up his personal space. Seokjin didn't even understand it himself, he was good at shutting people out, so why couldn't he with Jungkook? In fact, he actually _wanted_ to be around him. Seokjin turned to Jungkook, watching as he laid there, eyes closed, drool seeping out of the corner of his mouth, hair sticking up disheveled. He reached out to smooth down some of the stray hairs, but Jungkook rolled over and rested his head on Seokjin's arm, laying his arm across Seokjin's chest. Seokjin gasped. _Shit._ He didn't know what to do.  Strangely, this felt right.

     Somehow he managed to drift back to sleep. When he woke in the morning, Jungkook had his head nestled into the crook of Seokjin's neck, snuggled up with his one arm wrapped tightly around Seokjin's midsection. Seokjin's hand was resting quite comfortably on Jungkook's shoulder.

     They... were... cuddling _._

     "Jungkook," Seokjin whispered. Jungkook did not budge. "Jungkook." He called louder and shook him gently. Jungkook opened his eyes, smiling as he nuzzled in; so warm, so comfortable, the perfect fit. Then he realized where he was. He slowly looked up at Seokjin, eyes widening.

     "Good Morning?" Jungkook grinned apologetically. "Sorry." He turned over and sat up in one quick motion. He looked down panicked, realizing that the morning brought on quite an embarrassing situation. _Morning wood._ He bit his lip, trying to hide it as he inched off the bed.

     "Go get a shower, it helps," Seokjin smirked, leaning up to rest his head on his hand.

     Jungkook grimaced as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door, internally screaming for a black hole to appear and swallow him up. Ten minutes and nearly 20 gallons of ice cold water later, Jungkook came out with a just a towel wrapped around his waist, Seokjin nearly spit out his coffee. 

     "I don't have clothes and I don't really want to walk around the hallway naked." 

     Seokjin cleared his throat as he sat up, setting his phone down on the comforter, he calmly stood and walked over to his closet and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and threw them to him. "Just bring them back later..washed."

     Jungkook slipped them on. "Thanks." He threw the towel over the back of Seokjin's chair, watching as the elder stood up.

     "My turn." Seokjin declared as he walked to the bathroom and closed the door. Jungkook ruffled his hair, trying to tame his wet head as sat on the bed. He wondered if he should wait until Seokjin was done with his shower before he left, then he wondered why the hell he would stay, he had no reason to other than to make sure Seokjin was okay and didn't pass out in the shower. He decided to sit there and wait. He laid back on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling, trying to preoccupy his mind with things other than how Seokjin was feet away, with only the thin wood of a door separating them, naked and wet. He hoped that their sleepy time cuddle session did not make Seokjin ignore him for a week.

     Jungkook had fallen back asleep. When Seokjin emerged from the bathroom, he could hear the younger's mild snoring fill the quiet room. _This kid!_ Seokjin smiled, he sat down on the bed next to him and laid back. The movement of the bed jolted Jungkook back awake.

     "Shit, I fell asleep." Jungkook looked over at Seokjin. "Sorry. I just wanted to make sure you didn't pass out in the shower."

     Seokjin looked at Jungkook. "I'm okay now, fully healed."

     "Are you sure, because you don't have to act tough for my benefit." A look of concern spread across Jungkook's face.

     "Yeah, don't worry." Seokjin oddly liked that someone worried about him.

     "Sorry about..uh, this morning," Jungkook sat up, "I don't know how I ended up...cuddling-"

     Seokjin sat up, returning to his usual rigid self. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

     Jungkook closed his eyes _,_ internally punishing himself for saying the wrong thing..again. _Stupid._  "I uh..yeah-" He stood up. "I'm gonna..go."

     Seokjin watched as Jungkook promptly left the room, he could see the younger was flustered and probably should have stopped him. He wished he wasn't such a jerk to him all the time.

 

     Jungkook sat on his bed and looked at the papers on his nightstand. He was mentally drained from the events of the last day, if it hadn't been for Taehyung, Seokjin would be dead. Why didn't Noni know what was wrong with him? She is the one that is supposed to pick up on these things. Then again, she was pretty out of it herself. He wondered if someone cast a spell on her, but then quickly dismissed it. He didn't know enough about witches or empaths to come to any conclusions, nor did he want to relive it all again in his mind. _Seokjin almost died._ He shuddered.

     A knock sounded on his door and he looked up.

     "What?" Jungkook yelled. Seokjin peeked his head in and Jungkook looked at him surprised, he was sure that the elder would have avoided him for a month after this morning. "Seokjin!"

     "I'm going down to see Noni and Namjoon, I think you should come." He raised his eyebrows as if waiting for an answer.

     "Uh..yeah, sure." Jungkook replied, "Just give me a minute to get dressed."

     "I'll be in the hallway." Seokjin nodded and closed the door.

 

     When they walked down the stairs, they noticed pack members were busying themselves with cleaning up the mess that had been left behind from the attack. All the smoke had colored the walls in soot, and with the burnt smell still lingering, it felt like they were inside of a fireplace. A man in a uniform was installing a new set of doors, while Taehyung and Jimin swept up the glass and wood that littered the foyer. Jungkook had to sidestep as Seokjin pulled him away from almost tripping over a body as they waded through the debris.

      They stopped at the doorway to Namjoon's office. Seokjin knocked, hearing an "enter" from the other side, he and Jungkook walked in. Namjoon's expression was somber, they knew Jacker's impromptu little visit caused him much stress. Jungkook glanced over at Noni, who was seated on the couch, her hands folded neatly on her lap, staring back at him.

     "I was just about to send for you," Namjoon remarked to Seokjin. "Please have a sea-"

     "I want the bullshit to end Namjoon,"  Seokjin interrupted their leader, unable to hold back his anger. "What aren't you telling us?"

     Namjoon lowered his head, there was no sense in beating around the bush, "I suspected you weren't half human for a while now, but I didn't know what you were."

     "Which means what?" Seokjin just stared at him.

     "Which means I lied to you." Namjoon looked Seokjin in the eyes, "I owe you an apology."

     "I don't want sorries, I want answers!"  Seokjin demanded. 

     Jungkook got an uneasy vibe and he peered over at Noni. She sensed that Jungkook already knew what Seokjin was.

     "You're an Onyx hybrid," Noni spoke up and Seokjin glanced at her.

      "A what?" Seokjin looked to both of them, baffled. What the hell was an onyx?

     "A demon." Jungkook sighed and Seokjin looked at him. He handed Seokjin the rolled up papers he had stashed back in his pocket earlier.

     Seokjin took the papers and walked to the window, as he unrolled them, a seriousness overtook him and suddenly everything in the room went quiet. Everything except for the tick-tock of Namjoon's wall clock, which seemed extra loud today, Jungkook had a strong urge to rip it from the wall. Maybe it was his own nerves that seemed to amplify the dial's movements, because he knew once Seokjin read through the papers and finally knew, he wasn't going to be too thrilled with his new found identity. Jungkook witnessed the elder's facial expressions go from surprise to disgust to an emotion he really didn't have a name for, but he would take a guess that contempt was pretty close. Seokjin remained silent for a good five minutes before he handed them back and sat down on the couch next to Noni.

     "So, I'm a monster?" Seokjin concluded, looking down at the floor.

      "You're not a monster," Jungkook assured him, but Seokjin didn't seem convinced.

     "The whole onyx persona is, well...complex just in itself," Namjoon informed him, "It gets even more complicated when you add in other species."

      "And I bet you believe I bonded with you?" Seokjin stared through Jungkook, not blinking.

     "What? No." Jungkook stammered, he had believed it, but he wasn't about to embarrass himself in front of Noni and Namjoon by revealing his theory.

     "How long have you known?" Seokjin asked him, saddened. 

     "A few days." He looked down.

     "The important thing is, you need to remain calm." Noni rested her hand on his knee, but he pushed it off and stood.

     "Or what?" Seokjin scoffed, "I might kill you all?"

     "There are things happening that you don't know about-" Namjoon tried to explain.

     "They're just excuses," Seokjin interrupted, fuming. He wasn't about to listen to a bunch of bullshit from the one person he trusted wouldn't keep him in the dark.

     "Seokjin-"

     "Without trust, there is no pack," Seokjin muttered and turned his attention to Jungkook.

     "I was going to tell you today." Jungkook explained, "I felt you had a right to know, especially after yesterday."

     "I believe you." Seokjin began, then turned to face Namjoon,  "Why does Jacker want to kill me so badly?" 

     "I suppose he thinks you're a threat." Namjoon looked towards Jungkook, the gears in his mind turning, trying to figure everything out. "My concern is why he thinks Jungkook is some sort of an asset."

     "What do you mean?" Seokjin asked him, he suddenly was more worried about Jungkook than figuring out why Namjoon had lied to him.

     "Jungkook," Namjoon looked to the younger, "Noni and I were there that night, I figured you knew the werewolf that saved you was me, but I never told you why we were there."

     Jungkook sat upright, intent to hear more. Seokjin grabbed Namjoon by the collar and pushed him against the door with a thud. "Why does Jacker want Jungkook?"

     Namjoon didn't resist, he just stared Seokjin in the eye. "I got information that Jacker was going after his family that night, they were on their way here when the hit happened, Mr. Jeon's plan was to call a truce, he promised to leave our pack out of his hunt if we took Jungkook in."

     Seokjin let Namjoon go but did not move from in front of him. "Why would he want to leave his son with us?"

     "He was having violent outbursts and it scared them. He hurt another child by accident when he was eight, several days before he came to be with us."

     "No, I didn't-" Jungkook spoke up, quite sure he would remember such a thing.

     "I had Noni erase your memory of it," Namjoon spoke softly. Jungkook snapped his head to glare at Noni, who was staring at the ground. "It turns out that your mother wasn't just a werewolf."  

     "So you both lied to me for the last ten years...Why?" Jungkook stood abruptly, his chair fell to the ground with a thud. "What am I really?" 

     "An Onyx/werewolf hybrid.. like Seokjin," Namjoon admitted.

     "That makes no sense, you didn't even know what an Onyx was, I overheard you with Noni, you sent her to Russia to find out when you thought Seokjin might be one," Jungkook challenged.

     "We didn't know what they were, I have never encountered the species before," Namjoon moved past Seokjin to stand in front of Jungkook. "We found out a few hours ago through your Father's encrypted files," Namjoon explained. "When Jacker hit last night, I made the decision to have Jimin try to crack them."

     "You had them all this time and thought now was the time you should be reading them?" Seokjin scoffed.

     "Hindsight," Namjoon bewailed. "I didn't think there would be anything of importance in them that he wouldn't have already told us prior." 

     "Mr. Jeon must have known they were coming for Jungkook, once they found out about what he was," Noni explained.

     "I'm confused." Jungkook looked at them all, "If Seokjin and I are both the same, why does he want to kill him and recruit me?"

     "That's what I've been trying to figure out." Namjoon trudged over to his desk and sat down. "I keep thinking it has to do with the human part of you."

     "I'm having my brother study characteristics and physiology of the breed." Noni broke in. "So we can try to figure out why Jacker has such an interest in the two of you."

     "You have to understand, up until a few hours ago, we didn't know any of this. He didn't fully trust us, but he was convinced you'd be safer here, amongst those like you." Namjoon leaned back in his chair, not sure if he should bring this all up now, but maybe it had something to do with why Jacker came yesterday. "Your father talked about a prophecy in one of his entries, something about the onyx wiping out the werewolves-"

     "Can an Onyx kill a demon wolf?" Seokjin interrupted, clenching his jaw.

     "It would be an even fight, at the least." Namjoon knew why Seokjin asked. "But rushing into this unprepared is a death sentence."

     "Plus, they have figured out a deadly way to keep you away." Noni spoke to Seokjin, her voice cracked. "Jacker knows things about the onyx."

      "Taehyung seems to know a lot about them, his father has a completed bestiary at the main guild." Namjoon added, "He and Jimin will be going through the rest of the files later today." Namjoon felt a sudden pride, "I've overlooked their skills for far too long."

     Seokjin shook his head, infuriated, he could not believe this, his enemy knew his weakness. If Jacker knew what Seokjin really was, then how the hell was he supposed to stop him now? Noni felt a huge pang of anger and she looked at Seokjin.

     "Don't give in to it Seokjin, "She stood and walked over to him, "He's counting on your hatred towards him to drive you over the edge."

     Jungkook glared up at Seokjin, he quickly stood and grabbed Seokjin by the shoulders, he could feel the anger coming off of the elder and it terrified him. "Don't do anything stupid," Jungkook pleaded. "Please!"

     They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments before Seokjin looked away, taking a deep breath. He hated being weak, and he hated that Namjoon was not the person he thought he was, but what he hated most of all was that Jacker wanted Jungkook..for a reason that no one had figured out. He knew with Jacker, it had to be something sinister.

     "I need air," Seokjin announced, backing away from Jungkook, he opened the door and left.

     "Go after him." Namjoon urged the younger, "We can talk later when we know more."

     Jungkook nodded and then quickly left the room.

 

     Seokjin was sitting on the roof staring off into the distance when Jungkook found him.

     "You don't have to babysit me for them." Seokjin watched as Jungkook sat down.

     "I'm not, I figure you're the only person that knows how I feel right now." He looked at Seokjin, unable to hide the disappointment he was feeling towards Namjoon and Noni at the moment.

     "How is it that Jacker knows more about us than Namjoon does?" Seokjin questioned.

     "I don't know." Jungkook looked out at the grounds, he rested his arms on his knees, exhaling his breath.

     "I guess this explains why I feel so close to you," Seokjin remarked and Jungkook looked up at him, taken aback.

     "What?" Jungkook asked, and Seokjin scrunched up his nose, looking like he just regretted what he said. "Why are you so afraid to get close to me?" Jungkook was feeling a bit hurt, how dare he make such a proclamation and then close up once again!

     "It's nothing personal." Seokjin stared at him. "It's just not what I do."

     "Everyone needs a friend," Jungkook said flatly, he was growing really tired of Seokjin's shit.

     "I don't." He rose quickly and was heading to the window, about to climb through.

     "I need you." Jungkook spat out and Seokjin stopped for several seconds before he climbed back inside. He could feel Jungkook's gaze on the back of his head.

   _Don't be an asshole, Seokjin._ He balled up his fists, trying to resist the urge to give in. _You need him too_. He sighed and peeked his head out the window, internally cursing himself, knowing he would probably regret what he was about to do. "Take a ride with me?"

     Jungkook looked at him surprised, not sure how to answer. "Uh..sure."

 

     Seokjin climbed on his motorcycle and handed Jungkook the extra helmet. Seokjin started the bike up, watching as Jungkook slid the helmet on, then he motioned for Jungkook to get on the back, closing his eyes when Jungkook wrapped his arm around his midsection. They rode for a good twenty minutes before they reached the shore.

     Jungkook took off his helmet and took in a big sniff of the fresh ocean air. He watched as Seokjin trekked down to the water and then joined him, curious as to why the elder brought him here.

     "I come here to clear my mind." Seokjin sat down, picking up a piece of driftwood that was sticking out of the earth next to his foot. Jungkook sat adjacent to him, crossing his legs as his butt sunk into the sand. He nervously began to make swirly patterns in the sand with his fingers.

 

     They talked for hours about everything -  their childhoods, their likes, dislikes, how they both wanted to find Jacker and end his reign. Jungkook felt closer to Seokjin than before, the closest he had ever felt to anyone in his life. For the first time ever, Seokjin let him in, but he wasn't about to get his hopes up.

     "I want you to trust me Seokjin, fully trust me." Jungkook sighed.

     "I do." Seokjin looked at him. Jungkook was a bit stunned. "It's new for me, but I do."

     "Good." Jungkook still wasn't sure what to think, but he believed Seokjin did finally trust him.

     "We're going to figure out what Jacker wants with you and then we're gonna destroy him." He stood and held out his hand to Jungkook. Jungkook took it and Seokjin pulled the younger up. "I still think there's stuff that Namjoon and Noni are hiding, but I know someone that can help."

     "Who?" Jungkook asked, curious.

     "Yoongi," Seokjin announced, he started to walk back to the motorcycle, a new sense of determination on his face. "He used to be a part of the pack, he knows a lot about the old stuff and he owes me."


	9. Connection

     Yoongi was sitting on his couch just drinking a beer and watching a basketball game when the knock came. It was three taps and a bang. He smiled. Seokjin had always liked those 'spy' signals, it was a little inside joke with them. He walked to the door and flung it open, gazing upon the sight that stood before him, Seokjin Kim in the flesh.

     "Well, I didn't expect to see you at my door." Yoongi beckoned them in. He watched as Seokjin and Jungkook crossed the threshold, then closed the door behind them. "This must be the kid I have heard so much about."

     "Depends on what you heard." Jungkook kidded.

     "I like him already," Yoongi commented as he walked straight over to the bar that covered the whole left side of his living room. "Drink?" He asked them, Jungkook shook his head.

     "Uh sure." Seokjin walked over to the bar. "I need to ask you some stuff." He sat down on a stool and watched as Jungkook strolled over and sat down on the couch.

     The younger was admiring Yoongi's simple decor of one couch, two armchairs, one television, a well-stocked bar with several stools, and a coffee table- which held a half dead plant and three stray coins. Below the coffee table was just a plain blue rug that had several dark spots staining the woven threads, from what he could tell, it was dried blood. Jungkook surmised that Yoongi was either a mass murderer or a clumsy drunk.

     "You're really taken with this kid," Yoongi said quietly, noticing Seokjin staring at Jungkook, a not so subtle look of infatuation adorning his features. Seokjin sighed.

     Seokjin looked at Yoongi, not about to confirm nor deny Yoongi's observation. "Jacker knows more about the two of us than I am comfortable with." He paused to watch Yoongi's reaction, "Why is that?"

     Yoongi pushed the drink towards Seokjin and held up his own, they clinked glasses and drank them down. "Smooth." He blew air out of his mouth and set the glass down. "What I know, I can't tell you without compromising my position here, you know an Omega is like a sitting duck."

     "You left the pack. it's not like people are hunting you." Seokjin pointed out.

     "You never truly leave a pack. Namjoon has people looking after me, I can't afford to jeopardize that," Yoongi explained. "Not even for you."

     "I'm not asking for the secrets of the whole pack, you know Jacker is dangerous, you know what he did to my family-" Seokjin accidentally broke the glass in his hand from squeezing too hard, sending the glass shards all over the bar.

     Yoongi protested, "Same temper I see." He threw a rag at him and Seokjin began to clean it up, pulling a piece of glass from his palm and sucking off the trickle of blood that ran down his wrist.

     "I just want to know how the hell he would know so much about me-"

     "And why he wants Jungkook?" Yoongi asked, eyebrow raised, Seokjin glared at him. "I hear things."

     "I mean if you won't help, I guess I can track down Jacker and ask him myself." Seokjin forcefully threw the rag down on the small pile of the cup's remains, a few of the pieces flew off the bar and landed on the floor.

     Yoongi looked at him, his eyebrows raised. "What do you want written on your tombstone?"

     "Please." Seokjin pleaded.

     Yoongi sighed, if a 'please' had come from Seokjin's mouth, it must be pretty important to him. He glanced over at Jungkook, contemplating in his mind how many bad things would come of his helping them. _Ugh._ He focused his attention back on Seokjin, shaking his head, remembering above all else that this man was once his best friend and defying the rules was fun for them. "I'm going to take a walk with the kid, FYI, my office is down the hall to the right, my computer's password is the same as my birthday, do you get what I'm saying?" 

     "Yeah," Seokjin nodded. "Thanks."

      Yoongi went over to Jungkook and after a few whispered words, he and Yoongi stepped out the back door. Seokjin walked down the hallway and entered Yoongi's office, he marched over to the desk and turned on the lamp as he sat down. Yoongi's living room may have been minimalist, but his office was a complete mess. He had to move a stack of paper to the side just to open up the laptop. The smell of decaying pizza permeated his nostrils and he pushed several pizza boxes off the desk, only to be greeted with a loud meow from a resting cat that was now halfway up the curtains. _Yoongi hates animals, why does he own a cat?_  Seokjin chuckled to himself, as he turned the machine on and waited for it to boot up. He had no clue what he was looking for and didn't suppose there would be a bright flashing neon sign saying, 'read this'. He typed in the password, the wallpaper choice made Seokjin wide-eyed - it was the two of them, eleven years ago, maybe twelve, holding up drinks and smiling their drunk asses off. Several folders were on his desktop, placed atop both their heads to resemble horns. One was marked 'PACK' and inside was a folder named Jacker. _Bingo, neon sign._

 

     Jungkook stopped short as he stepped off the porch of Yoongi's abode, in complete awe of the sight outside his back door. Sprawled out in front of them was an enormous lake surrounded on the far side by immensely foreboding trees that were a little too tall to be natural. Jungkook wondered what evils lurked about in them, hoping he wasn't about to find out. "Creepy."

     Yoongi stopped at the shore's edge taking in the atmosphere, turning to give a quick smile to the younger. "Keeps away the curious."

     It was quite peaceful out here spite in spite of the menacing backdrop, only the sound of buzzing insects well into choruses of familiar mating rituals filled his ears. The water was extremely clear for a lake, almost too transparent, Jungkook thought. He felt a little awkward being out here with a dude he just met five minutes ago, he was unsure of what to say since he was not good with making small talk. Instead, he just stared at the water, transfixed with the way the sky reflected into it, it was mesmerizing, inviting. Yoongi threw a stone and disrupted the image, making it zigzag within the ripples. Jungkook looked up at him confused.

     "Sorry, if you stare too long, you're likely to end up at the bottom of it." Yoongi grabbed Jungkook's palm and placed several rocks inside.

     "Huh?" Jungkook looked down at his hand.

     "Lady of the lake, she had to be put somewhere." Yoongi threw another stone and Jungkook looked at him like he was crazy.

     "Sure." He smirked, sure that Yoongi was playing with him.

     "You have no problem with werewolves and demons existing out there, but a lady of the lake is where you draw the line?" Yoongi laughed.

     "Ok, I'll bite.." Jungkook skipped the stone across the surface. "What is a lady of the lake?"

     "I guess she's kind of a siren," Yoongi bent down to grab a few more rocks, "Except she doesn't sing to claim her victims, they come to her willingly, so captivated by the site of the reflection they walk into the water and drown." Yoongi skipped one himself, disappointed in how it just flopped and sunk. "Then she eats them."

     "Sirens actually exist?" Jungkook was so out of tune with this world.

     "Pretty much all the beasts that have stories about them are based on actual beings," Yoongi smirked. "You have a lot to learn."

     "Yeah, I know." Jungkook threw the handful of rocks into the water, annoyed at his lack of knowledge of the supernatural world he was part of. _What_ _the hell is_ _taking Seokjin so long?_ He turned his head to look back at the house and froze.

     "Don't worry, you'll learn," Yoongi glared at the younger, noticing his face changed suddenly, a drunk little smile had spread across his mouth. Yoongi peered over his shoulder wondering what the heck the kid was staring at.  _Seokjin!_

     Jungkook stood there transfixed, watching as Seokjin exited the back door and stepped down off the porch.

     "Woh," Yoongi commented, chuckling to himself. _This kid was in love!_

     "What?" Jungkook looked at him.

     "So the feeling is mutual." Yoongi glanced back over at Seokjin as he got closer.

     "Feeling?" Jungkook was confused, Yoongi motioned with his eyes to Seokjin and Jungkook understood what he meant. "Se-Seokjin? No, he doesn't like me."

     "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Yoongi patted him on the back and sauntered off towards Seokjin. Jungkook glanced at the elder and then quickly back at the lake, not about to be affected by Yoongi's proclamation. _The feeling is mutual._  He grinned from ear to ear, blushing. _No chill!_

 

     Jungkook climbed off the back of the motorcycle and took off his helmet, floofing up his flat hair. He looked up at the castle and in the top floor window, he saw Namjoon staring down at them, an unpleased frown spread across their leader's face. Jungkook waved, but Namjoon did not wave back, in fact, his frown got deeper. Seokjin looked up and Namjoon motioned for him to come in. Jungkook watched as Namjoon disappeared from sight. "We're in trouble."

     Seokjin merely 'hmp'ffed'. As far as he was concerned, Namjoon had no right to be mad.

     "Please tell me you found something?" Jungkook leaned in to make sure he wasn't overheard.

     "I'll come to your room after I see Namjoon." He replied and then handed Jungkook his helmet and walked inside.

     

      Namjoon closed the door and turned to Seokjin. "I heard you went and saw Yoongi." He seemed angry.

     "He didn't tell me shit." Seokjin sat, propping his feet up on the desk, "I am sure you already knew that too, though."

     "I also know you were alone in the house." Namjoon sat on the edge of his desk, pushing Seokjin's feet off. "What are you doing?"

     "I think you know more than you're telling me." Seokjin insisted. "I just want to know what the hell is going on."

     "I tell you as much as you need to know for now, for your own good." Namjoon leaned in, not hiding his obvious disapproval.

     "My own good is to be kept in the dark about why Jacker seems to have an unhealthy level of thirst for Jungkook and me?" Seokjin scoffed.

     "You have an anger problem, Seokjin, and when you have this problem, you don't listen to reason," Namjoon pointed out. "Hence going to see Yoongi in the first place."

     "I'm not a kid, stop treating me like one." Seokjin hissed, leaning up.

     "I have to do what's best for the pack." Namjoon explained, "I just need you to be patient."

     "You'll expect me to trust you when you keep shit from me?" Seokjin stood and walked to the door, he shook his head in disbelief, "Fat chance."

     "Seokjin, don't do anything stupid." Namjoon insisted, holding his hand against the door as Seokjin tried to open it. "I won't hesitate to relocate you away from Jungkook if I think you're putting his life in danger."

     Seokjin didn't bother to look Namjoon in the eye, he knew he would snap. _How dare he threaten him with Jungkook_. He clenched his jaw muscles trying to conjure up pleasant thoughts, any thoughts at this point. Namjoon could feel the tension building, noticing how Seokjin's eyes turned black and then back to normal again. "Move your arm." He seethed.

      Namjoon removed his hand from the door and Seokjin opened it, he exchanged tense glances with Namjoon and then walked out, slamming it.

 

     Jungkook was laying back on his bed searching on his phone for anything on the supernatural when Seokjin burst in and slammed the door, he bolted upright, his hands in the air questioning why Seokjin was being so loud.

     "Son of a bitch," Seokjin yelled out.

     "What is wrong with you?" Jungkook stood up, turning towards Seokjin as he stormed over to the window, the elder threw the window open and took a breath of fresh air.

     "I'm pissed off!"

     "Yeah, I can see that." Jungkook walked over to join him, peering out at the gardens for a moment before focusing back on the elder and the pulsating vein popping out of his neck. "Talk with Namjoon didn't go well?"

     "If I don't be a good little boy, he's going to send me away." Seokjin rolled his eyes, focusing his attention on the younger.

     "He didn't say that, did he?" Jungkook looked doubtful.

      "If he thinks I'm putting you in danger..then yeah." Seokjin stuck his head back out the window, trying to regain his composure.

     "I'd like to see him try," Jungkook muttered under his breath.

     Seokjin looked back at him. "If it does happen, I want you to promise me you won't try to find out where I am." Seokjin insisted.

     "What, why?" Jungkook was distressed at the thought, he believed after their talk, they were closer now.

     "You're safer here. Namjoon can defend you better." Seokjin grabbed his shoulders, looking into Jungkook's big brown puppy-dog eyes. "Promise me."

     "Yeah, because what happened yesterday made me feel real safe." Jungkook quipped. "Besides I'm not the one he wants to hurt."

      Seokjin couldn't argue that. "I'd feel better if you were close to Namjoon."

     "I feel safer with you." Jungkook maintained. It was true, he didn't trust Namjoon half as much as he did Seokjin.

     "Namjoon is the only person Jacker is afraid of-"

     "If Jacker wanted me dead, I would be dead, he had ample opportunity." Jungkook shook his head, "I'm more worried about you out there alone."

     "It's all hypothetical anyway." Seokjin reminded him and let go of the younger, turning back to the window. 

     "I'm not letting you face this alone, I don't care if you like it or not." Jungkook was uncompromising.

     Seokjin sighed, "You're too stubborn."

     "You should talk." Jungkook teased.

     Seokjin understood why he liked Jungkook so much and couldn't help but smile. Jungkook's cell phone buzzed and they both looked towards the bed.

     Jungkook grabbed his phone off the bed, reading the text. "It's Taehyung, he and Jimin decrypted the rest of the files, he wants to see us first."

     "We should go to him." Seokjin thought for a moment, "Ten minutes, graveyard."

     Jungkook nodded and texted him back, then looked back at Seokjin, remembering that the elder had not said anything about what he found out at Yoongi's house. "What did you find out from Yoongi?"

     "Jacker was part of the pack before I got here," Seokjin shook his head in disbelief, "He was too power hungry and got kicked out." 

      "What the fuck?" Jungkook questioned, pocketing his phone.

     "Yeah, the plot thickens," He opened the door. "Come on."

 

     In the graveyard, Taehyung and Jimin were standing in front of the mausoleum that held the remains of the first and third pack leaders (no one knew what happened to pack leader number two, his body was never recovered after the werewolf war of 1712.) The building was built sometime during the 1600's, it was ancient and intimidating, and they got weird vibes from it. Seokjin and Jungkook joined them moments later, Jungkook staring at the stained glassed door that sat smack dab in the middle of it, reminiscent of something straight out of Dracula's castle.

     Taehyung took out a file from under his jacket and held it out to Seokjin. "I made you a copy, slightly less thick than Namjoon's." Taehyung smiled.

     "The last few pages are where you'll find the interesting stuff," Jimin added.

     "I owe you." Seokjin took the file and sat down on the steps of the mausoleum, opening it.

     "Yeah, you do." Taehyung agreed. "See you guys later."

     Seokjin took out a stack of papers, Jungkook watched as Jimin and Taehyung headed back towards the castle, then sat down next to Seokjin, leaning in to see what there was.

     "What's it say?" Jungkook asked, anxious.

     "I literally just opened it." Seokjin remarked, giving him that 'be patient' look.

     "Sorry." Jungkook chuckled.

     Seokjin skimmed over the first page, then skipped to the second to last page, handing the other pages to Jungkook. "I learned today that Nari isn't just of werewolf blood, she is an Onyx hybrid and from what I have found out about the species is they are very dangerous. I fear my son is exhibiting these traits, he frequently has spells of extreme rage, both at school and at home." Seokjin read aloud, impressed. "You were a little badass." 

     "Why would Noni erase my memory of this?" Jungkook wondered, not recalling anything of these incidents.

     "I have decided to place him with a pack, I have been tracking this pack for about five years now, They also have an Onyx hybrid by the name of Seokjin Kim." He and Jungkook exchanged glances. "I am hoping that my son can learn to control his anger problems. I have seen Seokjin fight on a few occasions, he can turn his skills off and on with great ease, I have never seen anything like it." Seokjin smiled.

     "Like your ego didn't already know that." Jungkook joked as he flipped to page three.

     "I worked with Noni Ivanov several years ago in a clinic, I believe she would steal blood for the pack vampire, Yoongi Min." Seokjin laughed, remembering the whole miserable three months. "His tranquility phase-"

      "What the hell?" Jungkook blurted out, "How is Yoongi is a vampire? He went out in the daylight."

      "Most of the things you think you know about vampires are myths." Seokjin explained. "and before you ask, yes vampires and werewolves cohabitate."

     "Well, I didn't think you were all racist." Jungkook went back to reading.

      "More like Species-ist and you'd be surprised." Seokjin turned to the last page. "Vampires are allergic to the sun, but with a darkness spell sunblock can be altered."

     "What was your brother's name?" Jungkook asked, concentrating on a sentence in the middle of the first paragraph.

     "Jinwoo, but he went by an American name." Seokjin looked up, "Why?"

     "Eric Kim?" Jungkook asked and his eyes met Seokjin's, who nodded. "He's in here, my Dad knew who he was."

     "What's it say?"

     "Eric Kim, I believe to be around age 23. He meets with a pack of renegade werewolves headed by their leader Jacker Lemaire." Jungkook looked up and saw Seokjin had his eyes closed. "Do you want me to continue?"

     "Yeah." Seokjin peered up at him. Jungkook glanced back down at the paper, skimming a bit.

     "I have been tracking Jacker for quite some time, I believe him to be some sort of demon wolf, very strong, very dangerous." Jungkook thought for a moment, "Technically aren't we demon wolves as well?"

     "I guess technically," Seokjin answered, thinking for a moment. "His species is the predominant demon of our world, being straight from hell and presumably the toughest, but there are at least a dozen types of demons and demon hybrids."

     Jungkook continued to read. "'October 6th - Jacker and Eric went to his families house. What happened next will haunt my dreams for awhile. He gutted the mother and made Seokjin watch, keeping him from changing, somehow. I have not yet discovered the secret to this. This man is beyond evil, he was very adamant that the boy witness every vile thing he was doing to the parents. He then picked Seokjin up by the throat and ended his torment with a sword straight through the abdomen. Holding him there until he stopped twitching and then throwing him to the ground like a heap of trash.  He handed Eric the match to set the house on fire and then as the two of them watched it burn, he put his arm around the boy's shoulder, took out a vile of clear liquid and jammed it down his throat. His laugh was maniacal, I will never forget that sound. He watched as the boy convulsed to death, then threw his body into the fire to join his dying family. Upon closer investigation, I discovered Seokjin had escaped the fire, hiding under his neighbor's porch, helplessly watching the home go up in flames. The sword used on him was laced with wolfsbane. Quite peculiar, I am keeping the sword for my collection. Had I not administered the antidote, I believe he would have died within hours. Namjoon's pack is coming up the road. They will take care of him, it's important that he be placed within this pack, this is his only chance for survival.'"

     Seokjin stood up and walked over to the mausoleum wall, leaning against it, he felt light-headed, he felt like he was reliving the whole incident over again, each vivid detail etched in his mind like a living nightmare.

     "I'm sorry, Seokjin." Jungkook sympathized, joining the elder against the wall. He was not ready for the hug he was being pulled into, he hesitantly hugged Seokjin back, he could feel the elder's heart beating fast, and his body tense up. Seokjin was trying to fight the emotions, but being next to Jungkook was working against him as he also wanted to melt into a puddle within his arms. Jungkook stared into his eyes, his own heart threatening to break free of his body, thumping so hard, he was sure it would wake the dead. He didn't even realize he did it at first, until he felt the warm touch of Seokjin's lips against his own. Jungkook kissed him, his knees were weak from the way Seokjin held his face, the butterflies that he felt in his core fluttered wildly. He never expected Seokjin would kiss him back, but there they were, entwined in an embrace, together, their hearts beating a rhythmic pattern in the name of love, loss, and connection. He also did not expect the elder to push him back, causing him to land on his ass in the dirt, hard.

     Seokjin went over and grabbed the papers and the file and looked back at Jungkook, indignant, prepared to tell him off. Why would the younger put him in this position? His face turned instantly regretful as he stared down at Jungkook, who had no clue what just happened. He muttered an apology and then hurried off, cursing himself for giving in so easily. Jungkook sat there for a good five minutes, in shock.


	10. Secrets & Prophecies

     Jungkook slowly stood and brushed his pants off, looking up at the front of the mausoleum, he noticed the name Luciano Lemaire engraved on the stone plaque above the doorway. "What the hell?"

     He caught up to Seokjin as he was about to enter the castle.

     "Seokjin, wait," Jungkook called.

     "What?" Seokjin stopped but didn't bother to look at him.

     "Luciano Lemaire was the last leader of the pack." Jungkook grabbed his shoulder and pulled Seokjin around to face him. "Jacker Lemaire..."

     "Oh my God, I am an idiot," Seokjin whined, he ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated at how he hadn't made the connection before.

     "He was Jacker's cousin." Namjoon opened the door and they both jumped back, startled.

     "His cousin?" Seokjin gave Namjoon a look of disgust. " Are you kidding me?"

     "I need to see you two in my office?" Namjoon requested then turned on his heel and walked away.

     Seokjin exchanged glances with Jungkook and then went inside himself, Jungkook followed behind him, staring at the back of his head as they trudged down the hall, he could still taste Seokjin on his lips. When they entered the office, Noni was sitting in her usual place on the couch. Seokjin parked himself in the chair closest to the door. Jungkook slumped down in the one next to him, he turned his head towards Noni, her eyes were locked on him, studying him. She glanced to Seokjin and then back to him, the corners of her mouth crinkling into a smile.  _Does she know about the kiss?_

"I was the reason Jacker was kicked out of the pack, he didn't like that his cousin named me leader on his deathbed. He began to do things on his own without the consent of me or the council." Namjoon sat in his seat and turned to them. "This isn't a secret, this was all before you came to live with us Seokjin."

     "I didn't know." Seokjin felt like a twit, he never really cared about the pack history or who lead what, all his younger self ever seemed to care about was training and getting revenge. The trip to see Yoongi was a stupid waste of time.

     "Had you dug a little deeper in Yoongi's files, you'd have figured out that the one thing I didn't want you to know," Namjoon explained, Seokjin looked up at him confused. "Eric was adopted."

     "What the hell are you talking about?" Seokjin stood up, staring down at Namjoon.

     "He was Luciano's son-"

     "NO," Seokjin yelled, he balled up his fists, ready to knock some sense into Namjoon. "You're lying!"

     "Luciano didn't know he had a son, and his Mother felt that him being brought up in a pack around Jacker would affect him, so your parent's adopted him. Somehow Jacker found out and persuaded him that it was all some sort of plot to keep Eric from the family riches. He convinced him they could rule the pack together, that your parents were the enemy," Namjoon took a deep breath, "That you were the enemy."

     "Why wouldn't you tell me this before?" Seokjin looked close to the verge of losing it.

     "Because I was asked to keep it a secret by your Father." Namjoon looked down. "He also asked me that if anything ever happened to them that I would take you in."

     "Great." Seokjin snarled, seconds away from grabbing Namjoon up.

     "Someone had alerted us that day that Jacker killed your parents and if we didn't get to you then, that you would be dead by morning. We know now that someone was Jungkook's father."

     "I guess it's a good day to get things off your chest?" Seokjin didn't take his eyes off Namjoon.

     "I thought about it after you left," Namjoon confessed, "You're a part of my family, I figured it was better if you heard it from me."

     "So Eric wasn't an Onyx then." Jungkook pointed out.

     "No." Namjoon looked at Jungkook then back to Seokjin, "The only reason I think that Jacker wants to kill you so bad is that since he didn't succeed the first time, his pack doubts his leadership skills. I don't think he counted on you being such a good fighter."

     "The way this is going, next, I'm going to find out that Jacker and I were separated at birth." Seokjin bellowed and Jungkook laughed, they all glared at him and he coughed and stopped.

     Namjoon turned his attention to Jungkook, "Your father mentions a prophecy about an Onyx wiping out the werewolf population, but he didn't go into much detail."

     "It's important we find out what the prophecy says." Noni informed them, "It could help with figuring out Jacker's obsession."

      "How do we find out?" Jungkook asked, sitting up.

     "Well, the prophet is still alive, she lives in Japan." Namjoon threw a file down on the desk in front of Seokjin. "I figured you'd like the honor."

     Seokjin picked up the file and looked inside, there was a picture of an older Japanese woman mixed in with some papers. "And now you want a favor?"

     "I want to go too," Jungkook spoke up and Seokjin glared at him.

     "No." Seokjin stated, shaking his head, "Absolutely not.".

     "I wasn't talking to you," Jungkook retorted and looked at Namjoon.

     "She requested Jungkook to come, but I couldn't send him alone," Namjoon informed them.

     "Of course she did." Seokjin sat back down and sighed. Jungkook shot him a dirty look.

     "I'm sending you out in the morning." Namjoon set two plane tickets down in front of them, "She will meet with you in the hotel later that night."

 

     Half-past one in the morning, Jungkook had plopped himself down on the stairs, unable to sleep with everything going on, what had happened earlier ran through his mind all day, Seokjin kissed him back and he couldn't get that out of his head. He was hoping to run into the elder since he usually took two a.m. walks almost every night. He knew Seokjin wouldn't want to talk about it, but still, there he sat. He turned to lean his back against the wall and propped his legs up on the railing, running through scenarios on how this would all go down and what exactly he should say. He waited a good fifteen minutes before he saw Seokjin's door open and him emerge from the room. The elder stopped half-way down the stairs, staring at Jungkook.

     "You should be sleeping," Seokjin remarked and then continued down the stairs and stepped over Jungkook, acting as if nothing happened earlier.

     Jungkook stared at him for a few moments, losing the nerve to say anything, he stood up and walked into the kitchen. Seokjin was momentarily confused but shook it off and headed to the kitchen himself. Jungkook was opening a can of soda when he walked in.

     "Are you ignoring me?" Seokjin asked, not seeming very concerned as he got himself a cup of coffee.

     "No," Jungkook said as he sat down at the table.

     "Well, you clearly have something to say." Seokjin prodded.

     "Nope." Jungkook looked towards the window, slurping the soda loudly.

     "Nothing at all?" Seokjin raised his eyebrows.

     "I have nothing to say." Jungkook shrugged, "But clearly you want me to say something." He looked at the elder, waiting.

     "Well, I think we should at least talk about earlier before we're stuck on a 15-hour flight-" 

     "Stupid mistake, won't happen again." Jungkook blurted out, picking at the pull tab on the can's top, concentrating a bit too hard on it.

     "Mistake?" Seokjin was not expecting such an answer. "Okay.." He was somewhat disappointed, "Then we're good?"

      "Yup." Jungkook was chewing on his lip, he didn't really mean that, but he wasn't about to open himself up to hearing Seokjin tell him it was wrong. He looked over at Seokjin leaning against the counter taking a sip of coffee, reminded of how good those lips felt against his own. He had to get out of there or he was going to lose it. "See ya tomorrow," Jungkook muttered as he stood, then hurried out of the room, leaving his soda behind.

      _A  mistake?_ Seokjin didn't know why it bothered him so much that Jungkook called it a mistake. Well yes, actually he did. He tried so hard not to admit it to himself, but..he liked Jungkook, and not just like a brother or a friend...but much more. That kiss made him feel alive, like a part of him he didn't ever think he'd know was suddenly awake. Did Jungkook really think it was a mistake? He thought the younger had been pretty much crushing on him for years now, everyone told him as much, he felt it from him every time he stood near Jungkook, so why did he say mistake? 

     Seokjin found himself standing at Jungkook's door about to knock, he had to know if Jungkook really meant what he said. Hand still raised to knock, he stood there for a good thirty seconds, before he put it down again. He leaned his forehead against the door. _Let it go._ He told himself, _just get through tomorrow, find out what you need to know from this prophet and move on._  He turned from the door and headed to his own room.

    On the other side of the door, Jungkook's head was leaning against the wood panel, he knew Seokjin had been out there and wondered why the elder didn't just knock, he sighed and walked back to his bed and lied down, Seokjin was such a complicated enigma.

 

     Jungkook put his carry-on in the overhead compartment and then sunk down in the seat next to Seokjin, who was skimming through an article in a travel mag. Jungkook glared at the elder, he wished that he had Seokjin's lack of concern about this whole thing between them.

     "What?" Seokjin could feel the younger's eyes practically burning through him.

     Jungkook argued with himself all morning on whether he wanted to say something to Seokjin about the kiss, something more than the lie he told last night about it being a mistake. Seokjin looked over at him and he lost his nerve again. "Nothing." He grabbed his phone and began to play a game.

     Seokjin watched him for a few seconds before returning to his magazine. Jungkook glanced over, the fact that Seokjin looked amazing in black was not helping his situation. 

    _Just tell him you didn't mean it, just tell him that. No, what would it accomplish? It's not like anything is going to happen if you do._ Jungkook wished for five minutes that he hadn't fallen for Seokjin, he sighed to himself and leaned his head back, determined to forget about it and take a nap.

 

     The hotel room was on the 32nd floor, they had a penthouse on the very top floor. Jungkook could see a good deal of Osaka from their window, he was in awe at just how many lights made up the city skyline. Seokjin joined him, staring out at the city, this was the first time either of them had been to Japan. Seokjin checked his watch, they had about an hour to kill before the woman would be there. _How to kill an hour?!_

     "Seokjin?" Jungkook called.

     "Hmm?" Seokjin didn't take his eyes off the horizon.

     This would be easier for Jungkook to say being that Seokjin wasn't staring into his soul. "I lied to you." He quickly averted his attention to the skyline outside, figuring Seokjin might look at him now.

     "About what?" Seokjin glanced over.

     "I didn't really think it was a mistake." Jungkook proclaimed, he took a quick peek at Seokjin, waiting for the elder to say something but Seokjin just kept his eyes plastered on him for what seemed like an eternity.

     "I know," Seokjin stated finally, in his usual nonchalant manner.

     Jungkook looked at him, puzzled. "You know?"

     "Yeah, I know." He smiled slightly. "For the record, I didn't either." He walked over to the bathroom door, "I'm taking a shower before she gets here."

     "O-okay." Jungkook stammered.

     "Listen for the door."

     Jungkook could only nod, watching as Seokjin went into the bathroom. He let out a deep breath, nearly collapsing against the glass door. _He always does this, drops a god-damn bombshell like it's no big deal, What the fuck?._ Jungkook nevertheless managed a smile, trying to process what just happened.  _Oh my God, did he just say he liked it?_

 

    It was nearing seven p.m. and the lady was already a half hour late. Jungkook paced in front of the window, back and forth like wearing a hole in the rug would help things, but not a nervous pace, he was bored and wondering where the hell she was and why it was taking Seokjin so long to check the lobby. He stopped moving when the door opened and Seokjin rejoined him.

     "Anything?" Jungkook asked, hopeful.

     Seokjin shrugged pulling out his phone, he was about to call Namjoon when a knock sounded, they both looked towards the door.

     "About time." Jungkook grumbled and Seokjin shot him a look that told him to 'behave'. He fixed his tie and then opened the door. A young, beautiful Japanese girl stood there, dressed in a tight, black designer dress, wearing sunglasses and carrying a small fluffy dog like it was an accessory.

     "Who the hell are you?" Seokjin blurted out, but the woman had pushed past him and walked into the room. He looked both ways down the hall and then spun around and closed the door. The woman turned to him. "We were expecting someone else."

     "My grandmother was not feeling well, so she asked me to come in her place, are you Jungkook?" The lady asked Seokjin, handing her dog to Jungkook.

     "No, I am." Jungkook looked at the dog and then to Seokjin, a 'what the hell' expression had formed on his features.

     "You are in danger." She looked him up and down. "She didn't tell me you'd be so attractive." The lady smiled and Jungkook blushed.

     Seokjin shot her a disapproving look. "In danger of losing my patience." 

     "I will get to you." She didn't take her eyes of Jungkook, still smiling at him. "I'm not usually so forward, I apologize." She bowed.

     "It's fine, but what do you mean?" Jungkook was a little uncomfortable, the only woman he had been around in the last ten years was Noni, he didn't really pay much mind to the female pack members since they were all older by many years.

     "You have a blue aura surrounding you, I don't see that often in my line of work."

     "My aura?" Jungkook looked at her strange and she giggled. She took the dog from him and set it down on the bed, and then took his hands, studying his palms.

     "Blues are some of the most loving souls you will ever meet, which I am surprised to see given your history." 

     "Is the hand thing necessary?" Seokjin seemed a tad jealous.

     "He has a magenta aura," She started, ignoring his question. "They are very rare, quite the loner, isn't he?" She asked and Jungkook nodded. "He wasn't always magenta though."

     Seokjin didn't like being ignored, he sat down on the chair in disbelief, nearly tipping it in the process. Jungkook couldn't help but stifle a smile.

     "You can go find me a beer." She smiled to Seokjin. 

     Seokjin's eyes narrowed into a slit, "Excuse me?"

     "A beer." She smiled, sweetly. "I don't really need you here."

     "I don't know who you are, I am not leaving you alone with Jungkook."

     "Then stand in the hallway if you are so concerned, I need to speak to him alone." She raised her voice slightly.

     Jungkook could see that Seokjin's face was turning red, he was getting pissed off. "It's okay, I'll be fine." He assured the elder.

     Seokjin stood, shook his head and walked out of the room, closing it harder than normal to make a point. The lady turned back to Jungkook.

     "I'm just here to find out about the prophecy," Jungkook said as he withdrew his hands from hers.

     "Namjoon felt that you should hear this first and then you can decide if you will tell Seokjin." 

     "Why does it matter? It's just about an Onyx killing off the werewolves?" Jungkook asked.

     "Seokjin's Father was a full Onyx, you know how they can shapeshift?" She looked at Jungkook and he nodded. "He made everyone believe he was a human, maybe even made his own self believe it as well. Jacker knows the prophecy, he knows an Onyx will wipe out the werewolf population, that's why he wiped out Seokjin's family and tried to do the same to Seokjin. Jacker needs the werewolves for his army and if Seokjin is alive he is a threat to the werewolves, even though he is a halfbreed. He wants to use you so he can manipulate Seokjin, and he wants to turn you against your pack."

     "I would never turn against them," Jungkook assured her.

     "The problem is, Jacker knows Seokjin would do anything for you, he saw from that fight that he is bonded to you. So Jacker knows if he has you, he can kill Seokjin."

     "Jacker is delusional, there is nothing he can do to turn me against the pack..and nothing would ever turn me against Seokjin." Jungkook had never been more serious in his life.

     "Jacker has something, no one knows what that is, but he has something." She turned to peer out the window. "I get this feeling from you, from the Onyx part of you, that you too have bonded," She turned back to face him. "With Seokjin?"

     Jungkook looked down, if she meant love, then yeah, he was in love with Seokjin. "I have feelings for him, but I don't know what bonded is supposed to mean."

     "Would you do anything for him? Anything to be sure he is safe?" She asked him and he nodded, still staring at the floor, "Would you die for him?"

     Jungkook whipped his head up, he looked her straight in the eye, alarmed. "What?"

     "You hesitate?" She walked over to stand in front of him.

     "No, I would die for him in a heartbeat" Jungkook replied, "I just don't understand why you would ask that, What do you know?"

     "Because Seokjin also has a prophecy about him...and Jacker." Her voice was soft. "One of them is going to die."

     Jungkook's heart sank, he wasn't prepared to hear that Seokjin could die. He always knew there was the possibility they would face off at some point, but he always figured this was something in the distant future, something that would happen many years from now. Hearing her words at this moment, it was so definite, this was going to happen and one of them would not live to tell the story.


	11. Developing

   

     Jungkook had waited for Seokjin to come back into the room, but he wasn't in the hallway when the Prophet left. Several hours passed and no word from the elder, Jungkook kept checking the hallway to see if he was coming, but it was empty each time. Seokjin wasn't too happy when he left, so Jungkook hoped he hadn't abandoned him in Japan and flew back home. He knew he just needed to calm down, so he tried turning on a movie, but his mind kept drifting back to what the Prophet warned him of. If he told Seokjin what she said, he felt like he would be setting him up to die, Seokjin would try to save Jungkook and face off against his nemesis, whether he was ready or not. His best bet was to just stay in the castle, never leave the confines of it, Jacker would not dare to try another attack, not so long as Namjoon was there. _But then won't Seokjin wonder why you never leave?_ Jungkook let out a yell of frustration just as Seokjin unlocked the door and came in.

     "What are you screaming about?" Seokjin threw the key on the table and set down a couple containers of food.

     "Where the hell were you?" Jungkook tromped over to him.

     "I went to get food...and a drink." Seokjin handed him some chopsticks. "Eat."

     "You could have said something." Jungkook sat and grabbed a container, irritated. This was just common courtesy stuff, Seokjin needed to stop being so insensitive.

     "I wouldn't have wanted to interrupt your little thing with the prophet." He grabbed the other container and sat down. _Shit._ He forgot to grab a soda.

     Jungkook gave him look of disbelief. "Don't be a dick."

     "Were you worried?" Seokjin snagged a soda from the fridge, looking at Jungkook.

     "Yeah, a little." Jungkook took a bite of the food, it felt good to get something in his stomach.

     "Well don't, I can take care of myself." Seokjin returned to his seat, setting the soda down and picking up his chopsticks.

     "Well, good for you." Jungkook grabbed his food and went and sat on the chair by the television, his back to Seokjin. He turned the volume to the TV up, trying to drown out Seokjin's existence. _Excuse me for caring about you, asshole._ Jungkook was getting tired of him being nice one minute and distant and dickish the next. He was beginning to lose his appetite, but he knew he needed to eat.

     What Jungkook didn't know was that the prophet had caught up with Seokjin in the elevator and told him about the prophecy involving him and Jacker, he put it together that was why Jacker wanted Jungkook, to use Jungkook to manipulate him. He didn't want Jungkook to be put in the middle, but the only way he knew how to do that was to go back to being distant with him, at least until he figured out how to get rid of Jacker once and for all. But then again, Jacker would use Jungkook either way, so it was a predicament that Seokjin didn't have an answer to. He just knew which option had always been the easiest in the past. 

 

     Later that night, Seokjin found himself on the balcony enjoying the cool breeze and the glowing lights of the city. He could see from the corner of his eye, that Jungkook was tossing and turning in bed inside. They hadn't said much to each other since the few words at dinner and Seokjin was feeling guilty about it. He looked down at the street below, mulling it over in his mind.  _Should I apologize?_ He knew if he wanted the rest of the trip to be pleasant, he should at least let Jungkook know he was wrong about earlier. The little shit would probably get a kick of out his meager confession and tease him about it later, but oh well, Seokjin knew he messed up and needed to fix it. _Ugh, just do it Seokjin._ He turned and went inside and leaned over the younger, stretching his arm out, he placed it on Jungkook's shoulder. _Do it._

     "Jungkook, wake up." Seokjin shook him a little too hard, the younger's eyes shot open and he looked up expecting large teeth to be hovering over his face about to take a chomp. "Hey."

     He sat up once he realized it was just Seokjin and not a stray carnivorous monster looking for dinner.

     "What time is it?" Jungkook rubbed his eyes, wondering what was going on.

     "We need to talk." Seokjin sat on the bed next to him.

     "Did something happen?" Jungkook stretched and looked over at Seokjin, the elder had a serious expression on his face.

     "Yeah, and I needed to say that I'm sorry." Seokjin looked over at Jungkook.

     "For what?" He was still a bit groggy, he looked around for his shirt, but didn't see it.

     "I think I know why Jacker wants you," Seokjin started and Jungkook looked at him with wide eyes. "The prophet told me the prophecy involving Jacker and I think I figured out why he is so interested in you."

     "So either way we play it, we're fucked." Jungkook looked down at the ground.

     "We need to figure out how to kill him-" 

     "We?" Jungkook glanced up at him.

     "I'm gonna need your help." Seokjin declared.

     "You're actually asking me for help?" Jungkook was astonished. "Woh, big step."

     "And this is why I don't like people." He kidded and Jungkook cracked a smile. "You're the only person I fully trust."

     Jungkook felt his heart flutter, he couldn't contain the giddy smile forming on his lips.

     "Don't get all sappy, come on," Seokjin whined and Jungkook smiled more. Seokjin sounded too cute when he whined.

     "I'm sorry, but this is a big deal." Jungkook reached over and squeezed Seokjin's hand, to his surprise, Seokjin didn't pull his hand away.

     "Well I don't plan on being the one to die in this fight and since he is going to try to use you to manipulate me anyway, I need to keep you close." Seokjin maintained. Again, Jungkook's mouth formed into a gigantic grin. "You are not making this easy."

     "So how do we kill him?" Jungkook asked, attempting to tame the smile on his mouth, he pursed his lips together as tight as he could.

      "You look like a turtle, stop." Seokjin laughed. 

      "This is all your fault," Jungkook snickered, loving that Seokjin was being all nice for a change. "You being pleasant feels like being in an alternate dimension where things have three heads and walk backward."

     "I need to talk to Taehyung since he seems to know a lot about this stuff." Seokjin laid back, ignoring Jungkook's obvious teasing, studying the ceiling as if it contained all the answers. "Maybe it's something simple like wolfsbane."

     Jungkook laid back too, staring at the same spot on the ceiling where Seokjin was. "Looks like we both need to be careful, stock up on antidote." He grimaced.

     "Right now, you're the safest person," Seokjin affirmed,  "If he kills you, he's got nothing."

     "If he kills me, your rationality would go right out the window." Jungkook protested. "He'd make a quick example of you."

     "You could be right, don't know what I'd do if he hurt you," Seokjin surmised, even though he knew how to wield his anger to fight, if Jacker killed Jungkook, all bets were off. He realized he practically just admitted to Jungkook that if he lost him to Jacker, he would be useless. "Plus the asshole is unpredictable."

     "The prophet mentioned that Jacker has something that she thinks will turn me against the pack," Jungkook remembered.

     "What?" Seokjin asked, not sure if he heard right.

     "She doesn't know what it is though, but I told her there is nothing that would turn me against the pack, and especially you." Jungkook thought he might have said too much with that last part. He glanced over at Seokjin for a reaction.

     Seokjin stared at Jungkook, a slight smile began to form, he cleared his throat and quickly looked back up at the ceiling.

     "I don't really think it's a secret that I like you." Jungkook was going to push it a bit since he knew they could be killed at any minute, why not? He knew he felt something from Seokjin too, he knew he couldn't be imagining it. 

      Seokjin listened attentively, like he wanted to hear more.

     "The prophet says that we are bonded to each other, which she thinks was rare for some reason. She talked about aura's and if I would die for you." Jungkook could feel that he was nervously chattering. "So whatever Jacker has would have to be pretty big for him to think I would even think about-" Before Jungkook could say another word, Seokjin put his hand over Jungkook's mouth to shush him. Jungkook moved his head back. "What?"

     "Shhh, I heard something in the hallway." Seokjin rose from the bed, he pulled his gun from the holster that was laying over the chair. He cautiously traipsed over to the door and positioned his ear again the wood, listening. He reached for the handle, but the click of the card key unlocking the lock made him draw his hand back, the handle started to turn, he backed up and let the person enter the room, and then Bam. He knocked the person out with a quick whack to the head.

     Twenty minutes later, Jungkook and Seokjin were standing, looking down at the unconscious man that they deposited on the bed.

     "Why the hell did he come here, he could have got shot." Jungkook shook his head.

     "Whoever hit me is an asshole." Exclaimed Taehyung rubbing at the impact spot on his head and slowly sitting up.

     "What the hell are you doing here?" Seokjin asked, pulling his arm to help him sit up faster.

     "Namjoon sent me, we've got errands." Taehyung explained, "He wants us to go see Noni's brother in Russia."

     "Why didn't he mention that to me?" Seokjin sat down on the bed opposite them, "Why send you?"

     "Because I'm a fucking good help." Taehyung chastized, "And you'd do better if you just stop and let someone help you once in awhile."

     Jungkook smiled, Taehyung was right. He looked at Seokjin, shrugging. "Couldn't hurt to have him here."

     "Next time, knock." Seokjin stood and removed his shirt, "I'm getting some sleep."

     Jungkook watched as Seokjin climbed into bed, turning over so that all Jungkook could see was his muscular shoulders peeking out from the blanket. Taehyung smacked his arm gently, bringing him back to reality, giving Jungkook a sly smile. Jungkook sighed and pulled back the covers, climbing back into bed.

 

     In the morning, Seokjin was awoken by the grumbling of a snoring Taehyung, he looked over to see Taehyung and Jungkook sprawled out diagonally on the bed, both had body parts hanging off the mattress, their arms and legs entangled together like a human body puzzle. The blanket was in a heap on the floor, covering the pillows that somehow escaped their heads amidst their twilight snooze fest. He had never seen someone sleep like Jungkook until he witnessed Taehyung's identical sleeping habits. He smiled to himself, Jungkook, despite his weird positions, looked like an angel. Seokjin checked his phone, noticing it was already 9 AM, he was starving, he didn't want to waste time waking them up, so he reached over, grabbed the alarm clock from the nightstand and set the alarm to go off in five minutes, then set it in between their heads. He quietly grabbed his shirt and shoes and walked out of the room.

     The buzzer blared through the room like a four-alarm fire drill, both Taehyung and Jungkook sat up violently, trying to figure out the source of the god-awful noise,  at the same time trying to cover their ears from the intrusion of audible death. The alarm clock became entangled in the bed sheet as they thrashed about, getting louder by the second. They both jumped up from the bed and looked at each other.

     "Make it stop," Jungkook screamed over the sound. Taehyung grabbed the clock, still trapped within the sheets, and ripped it them from the mattress, he hurried over to the sliding doors of the balcony, threw them open and heaved it over the railing, watching as it hit the ground and shattered, the sheet floating down after, covering the mess. "Really?" Jungkook laughed.

     "I made it stop." Taehyung grinned and then headed inside, and to the bathroom.

     Jungkook noticed Seokjin was not in the room. _Well played,_ he smirked. He really hoped the elder went out to grab some food, his stomach was growling and he wasn't sure if there was a gremlin taking up residence in the deepest pits of his insides or he was just hungry. He went back inside and searched the mini fridge, hoping for a pack of peanuts or a candy bar to tide him over, instead settling on a can of over-priced soda. A few moments later, Seokjin paraded in, carrying a small paper bag like he was the savior of all things breakfast.

     "Breakfast," Seokjin announced as he threw the bag to Jungkook, who caught it. He peeked in, _Yes! Food._

     "Thanks." Jungkook took a container from the bag and threw the bag down on the table. "So, what's happening today?" Jungkook said as he undid the lid of the food, taking a whiff of the fruit parfait that sat inside.

     "I guess we need to figure out what Namjoon wants us to do." Seokjin sighed and sat down next to Jungkook.

     "You think Jacker knows we're here?" Jungkook asked, watching Seokjin stuff a large piece of cantaloupe into his mouth.

     "He seems to know everything." Seokjin huffed, "Maybe a bit too much." Seokjin furrowed his brows in thought, "Convenient."

     "You think he still has someone in the pack that's loyal to him?" Jungkook's sudden revelation made Seokjin snap his head to him, ignoring the strawberry on his fork inches from his mouth.

     "I am kind of sure of it now." Seokjin banged his fist on the table, flinging the fork, the strawberry fell on his lap, "Son of a bitch." He stood abruptly and walked out to the balcony, Jungkook nearly choked on his breakfast.

     "Wouldn't Namjoon have thought about that?" Jungkook turned to look over his shoulder, "I mean wouldn't Noni be able to detect that?"

     "I'm pretty sure you're good at hiding things from Noni, so just think of someone who could perfect it and has been doing it a lot longer." Seokjin walked back over to Jungkook. "Jacker always seems to be a step ahead of us, like that day at the fighting place, he knew you'd be there, he planned for it."

     Jungkook had to agree, it was too convenient that all that happened just the way it did, a little too contrived to be just a coincidence.

 

     They had finished up their business in Japan by the end of the day and were on the seven o'clock plane to Russia, touching down nine hours later in Moscow. They stopped at some shitty little roadside motel several hours later, where Taehyung decided to get his own room, it was two doors down from Seokjin and Jungkook's and smelled like it had been occupied by a coven of vampires for several months. They were all pretty tired and decided to meet up in the vending machine area in the morning to stock up on junk so they wouldn't have to stop along the way for food. The sooner they headed out to see Noni's brother the better since it was at least a two-hour drive.

     Jungkook was sitting up in bed, his back propped against several flat pillows, searching for some music on his phone. Seokjin walked out of the bathroom, hair wet and a towel wrapped around his midsection, the shadows of the poor lighting accentuated his bare chest and made his abs appear more sculpted than usual. Jungkook nearly dropped his phone. _Holy fuck._

     "I can't think of who it could be, everyone hates Jacker." Seokjin sat down on the bed, "Someone is a damn good actor."

     "I guess that would be the point?" Jungkook was being a smart ass, but Seokjin was so deep in thought, he didn't pick up on it. "Don't think so hard on it, you'll drive yourself crazy."

     "Too late." Seokjin grabbed his boxers from the suitcase next to him and slipped them on, throwing the towel down on the floor. Jungkook tried not to look, but the sight of Seokjin in just boxers was driving him insane.

     "Jesus, Jungkook, I can practically smell your hormones." Seokjin shot him an annoyed look. Jungkook looked back at him, offended.

     "Stop being so fucking rude." Jungkook stared back at his phone but smiled unabashed.

     "You should take your shower now, we're leaving early." Seokjin grabbed the remote to turn on the television. Jungkook nodded and threw his phone down on the bed.

     "Hope you left me some hot water." Jungkook stood and shuffled to the bathroom door.

     "A cold shower would be good for you right now," Seokjin smirked.

     Ten minutes later, Jungkook came out, clad in boxers, drying his wet hair with a towel. Seokjin watched as he walked to the stash of snacks sitting on top of the small table in the corner, grabbing a can of soda. He tried to concentrate on the movie, but his eyes kept wandering back to Jungkook's slightly wet, mostly-naked body. He shook his head, snapping himself from his shameful oogling and focused back on the movie. He turned the volume up a few notches to drown out the sound of his heart that was thumping a little too loud.

     "Careful Seokjin, I can smell too." Jungkook smiled and looked at the elder, who frowned. The aroma of desire was thick in the air tonight. He relished in the opportunity to tease the elder, but not so secretly, he loved that Seokjin was lusting after him.

 

     An hour later, the movie credits were running down the screen and Jungkook was deep in thought, the motel's only cinematic had an interesting undertone - sex. Jungkook stared at Seokjin, wondering if the elder had ever been with anyone... *ahem* sexually. He would think there had to be somebody at some point. He really wanted to ask but didn't think Seokjin would care to discuss such things with him.

     "What?" Seokjin asked, almost like he could read the younger's thoughts.

     "What, what?" Jungkook tried to look confused, like he had nothing on his mind.

     "You look like you want to say something." Seokjin walked to the table and grabbed a small bottle of alcohol from his bookbag and uncapped it. "What is it?"

     "The movie got me thinking." Jungkook searched his words for a way to ask without sounding weird. "Just made me wonder if you ever, well if you..."

      "If I was a virgin?" Seokjin took the words from his mouth, Jungkook nodded. "No, but he was just sex."

    _A he?!_ Jungkook was a bit shocked to hear it was with a man, but happy because it meant he had a chance. "So what happened?"

     "He left the pack and we stayed friends." Seokjin sat on Jungkook's bed.

     "Left the pack?" Jungkook thought for a moment,  _Wait, Yoongi left the pack, what are the odds?_ "Was it Yoongi?" He stammered, hoping Seokjin would call him an idiot for thinking such things.

     "Yeah." Seokjin took a long drink, nearly finishing up the small bottle.

     "What the fuck?" Jungkook stood up, letting out an incredulous gasp. "Are you serious?"

     "It was a long time ago," Seokjin commented and then finished the bottle.

     "Did he like you?" Jungkook remembered the conversation he had with Yoongi about Seokjin.

     "No, not really, not like that." Seokjin remarked, "We were both drunk."

     "Well, this is awkward." Jungkook was sorry he asked.

     "It's not that big a deal." Seokjin lobbed the empty bottle across the room and it landed in the garbage. "Swoosh."

     Jungkook shuffled over to the window and opened the curtains, determined to get that mental image out of his mind. The first bullet shattered the window, spraying Jungkook with tiny fragments of glass, he froze as two more bullets whizzed past him, he could hear the air buzzing as the next three projectiles flew past his ear. Too close! Seokjin tackled Jungkook to the floor, but not before one had pierced the younger's chest, spraying blood on the elder's face as Jungkook looked down, gasping. Seokjin covered Jungkook with his body until the bullets stopped flying, he grabbed up a towel from the ground and held it on Jungkook's chest, applying some pressure and then making the younger hold the towel. He reached across Jungkook for the gun in his suitcase and stood up as several more shots zoomed past him, he avoided them by stepping out of their path and climbed up on the window sill, then jumped out the window. His bare feet thumping down into the piles of glass that riddled the ground, the pain gave him strength.

     There was a car coasting through the parking lot, squealing around the pavement, as a burly masked man hung out the window shooting at him. Seokjin rushed straight towards the vehicle, shooting off some shots and hitting both occupants, the driver fell against the wheel and the car glided off into the ravine at the other end of the lot. Seokjin sped over and ripped the door off its hinges, seizing the driver, but he was dead; a perfectly placed bullet hole straight through the head. He looked over at the passenger seat,  it was empty, the other guy was already crawling away from the car. Seokjin inched forward, cocking his gun, he placed his foot on the back of the man, leaving a bloody footprint from the cuts on the bottom as he pushed down...hard. The man stopped moving.

     "P-please, don't-" The man begged, "I-I have a family-"

     Seokjin was seething, "No Mercy!"  He aimed the gun at the back of the guy's head and shot off two bullets, then watched the man convulse until he was dead, the blood that had run out of his corpse was staining the dirt burgundy.

 

     Inside the room, Taehyung was fishing out the bullet from Jungkook's chest when Seokjin dashed back in, stashing the gun in his belt, he bent down to the younger, grasping his hand. "We need to go, now!" Seokjin was panicked, the younger was passed out cold and his skin was already beginning to grey.

     "The bullet was laced with wolfsbane, you need to get the antidote from my suitcase." Taehyung pushed the towel back on the wound and looked down at Jungkook, his veins began to blacken.

     Seokjin ran from the room and came back several moments later with a syringe. He slammed the needle into Jungkook's neck and expelled the liquid into him. He grabbed Jungkook's hand, as the younger woke with a jolt, taking a large pronounced breath. He looked at Seokjin, the elder had tears in the corner of his eyes. Jungkook thought for a moment he was dead and by the look on Seokjin's face, the elder had been scared he was too.

     "Holy.." Jungkook gulped down some air, out of breath. "..Shit!"

     Seokjin sighed, relieved. He picked Jungkook up bridal style and carried him out of the motel room straight to the car.

 

     "No cops," Taehyung looked in the rearview mirror for any sign of blue and red swirling lights. Nothing. He hit the gas pedal and sped off down the road going well over 90 mph, trying to pull up the GPS. 

     Seokjin slipped on his jacket and looked down at Jungkook who was asleep on his lap, he stroked the younger's hair and leaned his head back against the headrest, inhaling a large breath of air and blowing it back out. _That was way too close._

"Who the hell knew we were there?" Taehyung yelled, once again checking his rearview mirror, paranoid that suddenly someone would appear and run them off the road.

     All Seokjin could do was shrug, he didn't know, but he would find out as soon as he could. For now, all that mattered is that Jungkook was alive.


	12. Russia

     Seokjin knocked on the door to the little hut shaped home in the middle of a snowy field in an obscure part of the countryside, it was quaint but a tad out of place. Taehyung felt like he stepped into a fairy tale, expecting to see talking animals sitting on mushrooms warning them not wander too far. A little old man, that was a near clone of Noni, opened the door. He smiled widely and hugged them all as they walked in, as if they were old friends coming for a weekly visit. "It is so good to finally meet you all."

     His living room was small, filled with pictures of himself posing with various creatures that hung on the walls and were crowded onto shelves and tables. The parts of the room that weren't occupied with photos, were covered with shelves of books; tons and tons of books.

     Jungkook noticed an old photo of Noni, he smiled as he picked it up, showing it to Seokjin, "Noni was pretty cute back in the day."

     Seokjin nodded and continued scanning the photos, mostly there were just old black and whites. Seokjin got the feeling that Abram was a collector, his wall was like a true to life bestiary- documented real creatures he encountered through his travels. "He's like a walking wiki page of the supernatural."

     Taehyung knelt down to pet the fluffiest white-haired dog he'd ever seen in his entire life. He began playing around, ruffling its fur and scratching that 'oh so sweet' spot that made its leg thump the floor. It yipped out, excited to have new visitors for a change. "Yes, you like that, don'tcha?"

     "Noni talks about all of you so often, I feel like I already know you." Abram offered the trio a seat at his table, which was overflowing with all sorts of trinkets; from longswords to magic balls to vials of rainbow-colored potions to several watermelon-sized eggs that looked near ready to crack. Taehyung stayed seated on the floor with the dog while Jungkook and Seokjin sat down in the tiny chairs that were about the perfect size for a gnome.

      "I'm afraid I might break this-" Jungkook whispered to Seokjin, trying to balance his butt on the miniscule seat cushion.

     "The craftsmen never did understand when I said human-sized." Abram had to chuckle at how ridiculous they looked with their big bodies hanging off chairs that were way too small for them.

     "They're fine." Seokjin cleared his throat, wanting to get down to business...he didn't have time to worry about the little things, (literally).

     "Tea?" Abram offered, holding up the teapot that sat in front of him.

     Jungkook nodded and Abram filled a small cup with tea for him, then looked at Seokjin, who shook his head.

     "Namjoon told me you were coming, but I didn't have time to tidy up much." He sat down, preoccupied with the mess in front of him. "I did find the book he asked for though." He reached across the table and grabbed an antique looking leather bound book and placed it in front of Seokjin.

     "Is that the demon bestiary?" Taehyung spoke up, standing to get a better look.

     "Da." Abram nodded. "You know of it?"

     "My father told me about this." Taehyung grinned as he picked it up, running his hand over the cover. He turned to the first-page, eyes wider than a kid on Christmas - Spread out before him in glorious full-color was an illustration of a furry-winged black demon sitting atop a table of contents. "I never knew it would be so beautiful."

     "He's in love." Seokjin yanked the book back from him then turned back to Abram, irked. Taehyung made a sour face at him behind his back.

     "Jacker is a hell demon, right?" Taehyung sat back down with the dog again.

     "Yes, a very powerful one." Abram became grim.

     "Is there a way to kill him?" Seokjin looked at Abram, hopeful.

     "There is a way to kill all supernatural creatures, except a god or goddess of course." He answered, "But even they can be controlled by the other gods."

     "So how do we kill him?" Jungkook asked, then glanced at Seokjin.

     "With a special dagger." Abram reached across Jungkook and grabbed a book on 'special weapons' from the shelf next to the table. He dusted it off and searched through it, stopping on a page in the middle. He handed it to Seokjin and sat back in his seat. "It's all in there."

     Taehyung leaned up over Seokjin's shoulders. "I've seen this dagger before, in a book about rare treasure-" 

     "Then you know there are only two in existence and both are buried deep within a cavern, hidden away from the world." Abram sighed. "I am sure Jacker knows that you will be searching them out."

     "Does Jacker know where they are?" Seokjin looked down at the book, studying the picture, wondering what was so unique about a piece of steel.

     "No, not at the moment, only a spare few do." Abram took a sip of his tea. "But he knows one of the people that do. You met her already."

     "Who?" Seokjin asked trying to recall any women he met recently...

     "The prophet," Abram answered.

     "We met her granddaughter." Seokjin corrected him.

     "Madame Kimura is seldom seen as her true self, it is how she has stayed alive so long," Abram informed him. "She knows too many secrets, someone is always after her."

     "Well, she's a pervert." Seokjin declared and Jungkook stifled a laugh. "Why didn't she just tell us about the dagger while we were there?" 

     "Something tells me she was hoping to get a return visit from you." Abram informed him, "That woman has her motives."

     "She's just wasting my time." Seokjin huffed, closing the book. He pushed it away and stood. "I need some air."

     Jungkook watched as Seokjin walked out.

     "I should go make sure he's okay." Jungkook stood.

     "Go, I want to talk to Abram anyway." Taehyung moved up to where Seokjin had been sitting and grabbed the demon bestiary again.

 

     Jungkook buttoned up his jacket and ventured outside. He found Seokjin standing by a giant, out of place, run-down red barn, just staring up at the night sky. The elder was kicking at a pile of hay, that too, seemed out of place, as there were no animals around for it to be needed. It didn't look like there had been any sort of life within the building in decades.

     "Why so uptight?" Jungkook asked, leaning against the side of the barn, staring at the side of his head.

     "I'm just sick of this shit." Seokjin took a deep breath.

     "You've been tense all morning-"

     "Well, I didn't expect I would be in a shootout last night and see you laying on the floor with a gaping bullet wound in your chest." Seokjin spat as he thumped against the barn next to Jungkook.

     "You're worried about me?" Jungkook was stunned.

     "I'm just stressed," Seokjin remarked, exasperated.

     "Jesus, is it so hard for you to admit you worry about me?" Jungkook yelled at him, he thought they had gotten past this, that they had become even closer at the hotel.

     "Yeah, I am worried about you, I'm worried about what Jacker will do to you, and I'm worried that I can't protect you enough." Seokjin burst. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

     "It'll be okay." Jungkook turned to him, putting his hand on the elder's shoulder trying to calm him down. 

     "But for how long?" Seokjin was beside himself. He didn't expect slaying Jacker would involve such a complicated plan.

     Jungkook felt horrible, he felt like the elder needed comforting....so he hugged him. At first, he froze when Seokjin wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in tight, burying his face into the crook of Jungkook's neck. His arms felt so safe and warm, he was lost so in Seokjin's embrace, he never wanted to let go. Seokjin held him for a good couple minutes before he backed up, he stared at Jungkook and sighed.

     "We'll get through this and we'll be rid of Jacker." Jungkook was positive of that.

     "Sorry," Seokjin apologized. "I'm supposed to be stronger than this."

     "You can break once in awhile, especially with me." Jungkook assured him, "Everyone has a limit."

     Seokjin gazed into Jungkook's eyes, realizing how perfect this guy was, he wished he hadn't been so hard on him all these years. "You deserve better than this, Jungkook."

     "We both do," Jungkook added.

     "I mean better than me, you could do so much better." Seokjin looked down.

     "Maybe, but I don't care." He smiled to himself, Seokjin glanced back up at him. "Yes, you've been distant and a huge pain in the ass, but you've been there and that's more than most people have."

     Seokjin gave him a sarcastic smile, "Sure."

     "I'm going back in to figure out what we need to do next." Jungkook proclaimed, "If Jacker wants me, he's gonna have to go through you, right?"

     "He's gonna try." Seokjin nodded, "But all kidding aside, I'm not letting anything happen to you."

     "I know you won't." Jungkook smiled and then turned to head back inside, determined yet giddy. Seokjin promised himself that if he made it out of this alive, he was going to make it up to Jungkook. He was going to stop being a dick and actually show Jungkook how much he meant to him. _I've lost my damn mind,_ Seokjin couldn't help but smile at the notion.

    

     It was close to one in the morning and Jungkook was already asleep on Abram's couch, the shock of getting shot and poisoned and almost dying had a way of making one exhausted.  Taehyung and Abram were still discussing all the various creatures he had come into contact with throughout the years, and more specifically- their weaknesses. Seokjin was reading through the part about Hell Demons in the bestiary, he snapped his headphones on to listen to some music, mostly he wanted to muffle the sounds of their voices, to be able to study every word of what the book said. He peered over at Jungkook who shifted his position on the couch and was now laying on his side. He was so beautiful sleeping there, so peaceful. Seokjin took a deep breath, _So this was love?!_ He smiled and went back to reading the book, he would peek over the top every so often to just stare at the younger, finding it a bit hard to concentrate.

     "So what's with this bonding thing with an Onyx?" Taehyung asked Abram, who removed his glasses and looked at him.

     "Love for a demon is different than with a human. Demons weren't meant to love, but they grow close bonds with others, there is a strength within a pack, much like a werewolf. It's a kind of love, but stronger in some ways," Abram spoke and looked at Seokjin then Jungkook. "An onyx bonds for life and only once."

     "Seokjin isn't human, but he clearly loves Jungkook-" Taehyung contemplated, "Not that he'd admit to that, but it's too obvious."

     "Werewolves inherently have a human side, mutated, but still partial human. We just don't think about that when classifying them." Abram explained. "It's a fallacy on our part, because as werewolves there are no human weaknesses, or at least that's what most are bred to think. They want to remove human vulnerability from it."

     "So technically a werewolf is human also," Taehyung commented.

     "Technically, but still a beast. When they say halfling, they mean one parent was fully human and one was supernatural, whether it be werewolf, vampire or any of the other hundred species that exist." Abram thought for a moment, "What I find interesting is that Seokjin's father remained in a human state for most of his life." 

     "Why is that interesting?" Taehyung was intrigued.

     "Shapeshifting takes a lot of mental strength, it is meant to be temporary, usually lasts a couple hours. His Father must have been incredibly strong to be able to keep a human form for that long." Abram seemed impressed. "He was always thought to be human by anyone that knew him."

     "Why do you think he did that?"

     "He knew of the prophecy, he knew packs like Jacker's would hunt him and his family."

     "Survival and protection are great incentives." Taehyung pointed out.

     "I have my theories about that." 

     "Mind sharing them with me?" Taehyung asked, curiously excited. Theories and supernatural lore were two things that gave him great pleasure.

     "I have never met anyone so interested in this, except myself of course." Abram smiled, "All these young people just care about the power and run around willy-nilly trying to be all tough."

     "Can never have too much knowledge," Taehyung smirked.

     "Seokjin's father was very different, I have met a few Onyx in my life and none of them could sustain a human form for long, and even when they did, you could tell there was something off about them." Abram scratched his head and looked at Taehyung.

     "So why do you think he was able to keep the form for so long, if not just for survival?" Taehyung asked.

     "Each creature has their own god, the purest form," Abram explained, "Each with perfected skills-"

     "You think Seokjin's father was a god?" Taehyung's eyes widened

     "I think Yoosun was a demi-god or at the very least an offspring." Abram surmised.

     "If that was true, why didn't he just stop them from killing him?" Taehyung was unsure.

     "I feel as though he lived as a human for so long, he forgot many of his instincts. I don't know exactly, that's the one thing that confuses me."

     Taehyung looked over at Seokjin, who was nodding off in his seat. There was definitely more to him than met the eye.

 

     Later that night, Seokjin insisted Taehyung take the spare room, he wanted to stay near Jungkook to make sure the younger was okay. He settled in on the tattered loveseat that he had to dangle his feet over the arm of. He couldn't get comfortable and his mind kept drifting off to Jungkook getting shot. He was sure he must have switched positions at least twenty times already.

 _Jungkook!_ The sound of the shots rung in his ear, he couldn't block them out, swishing past his head, the bullets all hit Jungkook, one after the other. BAM, BAM, BAM!  He couldn't stop them, it was too late. Jungkook was gone... _NO!_  Seokjin woke up suddenly, catching his breath. He glanced around the room, shielding his eyes from the morning sun that hit his face the moment he raised his head. It was just had a bad dream, a stupid nightmare, _that's all_. Jungkook was already awake and thumbing through the demon bestiary, his feet propped up on the ottoman, perfectly fine. _Jungkook is okay._

     "Good Morning." Jungkook glanced over at him.

     Seokjin stretched his arms, trying to act like everything was normal.  _It was all just a dream, don't make him worry about you._  He looked over at Jungkook. _Act natural._ "What time is it?"

     "I dunno, 10?" He set the book down on his lap, staring at the elder. "Taehyung went with Abram into town."

     "For what?" Seokjin stood and set his blanket down on the chair.

     "No clue." Jungkook shrugged. Seokjin turned to walk towards the table when Jungkook leaned forward and grabbed his hand to stop him. "Who's Amari?" 

     "Amari?" Seokjin asked, confused at the odd question. "My mother, why?"

     "You were screaming her name." Jungkook threw the book on the couch and stood. "What were you dreaming about?"

     Seokjin seemed confused, he didn't remember seeing his mother, he shrugged. _But, I dreamt about you._  "I don't remember."

     "You okay?"  

     "Yeah, just a stupid dream, I'm sure." Seokjin looked at Jungkook, alarmed by the sudden change in Jungkook's eye color,  "Your eyes are blue?!"

     Jungkook walked over to the mirror by the door, he peered into it, sure enough, his irises were a bright, almost glowing, royal blue color. "What the hell?"

     Seokjin walked behind him. "What are you feeling?"

     "I'm not feeling anything..I was just worried about you."  Jungkook replied, locking eyes with Seokjin's reflection in the mirror.

     Seokjin smiled. He wrapped his arms around Jungkook and engulfed him into a tight back hug, Jungkook was shocked by the sudden affection, why was the elder hugging him? Did the blue mean he was dying?

     "What?" Jungkook murmured. "Is it bad?"

     Seokjin turned him around and looked Jungkook in the eye, a bit puzzled himself. None of what just happened made sense to him, except the blue eyes - they meant something significant. "It's not bad, I just ..sorry," He apologized, but deep down, Seokjin felt this sort of proved that Jungkook really did love him.

     "Are you drunk?" Jungkook retorted and pushed him back.

     "The blue..." Seokjin turned and walked over to the table and leaned over the enormous stack, searching for a particular book, he grabbed a thick book that had its cover missing. "It means that.." He riffled through the book, determined to find a passage he had read earlier.

     Jungkook felt bad, Seokjin had actually shown some genuine emotion and he just sort of made fun of him. He looked back in the mirror, his eyes were back to their normal dark brown.

     Seokjin found the page in the book and began to read, "An Onyx's eye color is often determined by their alignment, black can indicate turmoil, strength and chaos. Blue is inner peace, loyalty, and a true loving soul.  A purebred Onyx will only exhibit the characteristic black. Only a halfling can possess another color, such as blue, purple or red. Blue are the most rare, since the majority of Onyx are not peaceful creatures, they do not know of inner peace. It is said that only two in history have possessed blue eyes." Seokjin looked up at him. "The prophet said your aura was blue too."

     "So I'm a wimp." Jungkook looked back into the mirror, "Great."

     Seokjin walked over to him and turned Junkgook around. "No, not at all. You have an inner strength most of us could only dream of obtaining."

     "I'd rather be like you-" Jungkook started, but Seokjin covered his mouth with his finger to shush him.

     "Don't ever wish that." Seokjin growled, "You're perfect."

     Jungkook didn't know what had come over Seokjin, but he liked it. He was especially elated when Seokjin grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him in and kissed him, it was rough, but at the same time tender, intimate. It was the most euphoric feeling Jungkook had ever experienced. A spark shot up his spine, he swore his heart stopped for a whole minute. He could get used to this.


	13. Quests

     

   

     The sky was engulfed in the semidarkness of twilight, causing a direful orange tinge to shine through the window and cast a strange pattern on the wooden floor. It set an apocalyptic mood that made Jungkook's imagination go wild. _How peculiar_ , _is this the end of the world?_ Jungkook pictured a world of flesh-eating zombies chasing down terrified humans and eating them alive, gulping down handfuls of brains until every last man, woman, and child was extinct. _Hmm, I wonder if zombies even exist_. He was trying to occupy his mind, but it just seemed to wonder to graphic scenarios. Abram and Taehyung had not returned from their excursion yet and he was a bit worried. The elder, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. Seokjin had immersed himself in the books on Abram's table, determined to learn all he could about Jacker and demon wolves. Jungkook divided his time between gaming on his phone and sighing loudly every ten minutes.

     "They're back!" Jungkook yelled out, seeing headlights shine through the window. He leaned up and peered through the lace curtains

     "Thank shit, another sigh and I might have killed you," Seokjin mumbled, not looking up from his book. Jungkook frowned.

     Abram came in and went straight to the kitchen, muttering something about dinner. Taehyung sashayed in after him, his face was lit up like a Christmas tree, an enormous smile upon his face, it was like he had just come from a theme park, or in this case maybe an undead theme park. 

     "Where did you go?" Jungkook whispered to Taehyung.

     "Did you know the biggest supernatural library is here? Every artifact you can think of, right there in cases." Taehyung was excited. "You can actually touch them."

     Seokjin put his book down. "Learn anything useful?" 

     "Yes, did you?' Taehyung smirked, bending down to give the dog a quick pet.

     "I hope so." Seokjin picked the book back up.

     "The prophet is coming here tomorrow, so we won't have to go to Japan again, Abram feels the fewer people that know of the plans, the least likely someone can intercept," Taehyung informed him as he stood then collapsed onto the couch, grabbing the pillow and sticking it behind his head. "I am so tired."

     "You should get some sleep." Jungkook sat down next to him. 

     "You two can take the bedroom tonight if you want." Taehyung rubbed the back of his neck.

     "Sure, thanks." Jungkook looked over at Seokjin, who didn't seem to register what Taehyung said. "Test out the bedsprings tonight, Seokjin?"

     "Yeah, whatever," Seokjin answered slightly annoyed.

     "Maybe you should put the book down for a minute and take a walk." Jungkook pointed out, giggling with Taehyung.

     Seokjin looked up at him, eyebrow raised, determined to tell Jungkook off, but he settled down when he saw Jungkook's eyes were blue again. "Yeah, good idea." He set the book down and stood, stretching his arms.

     "Really?" Jungkook gasped.

     "You're coming with me." He grabbed Jungkook's arm and pulled him up.

     Jungkook smiled. "Of course."

     They made their way over to the door, Taehyung was about to lay his head back when he noticed Jungkook's eyes turn from blue back to normal, _What the hell?_

"See ya later, Tae." Jungkook followed Seokjin out the door into the night.

 

     Outside was chilly, Jungkook zipped his hoody up, wishing he had grabbed his jacket. He turned his head to look back at Seokjin as they traipsed through the snow to the barn. "Thought I'd have to fight you more to get you out here."

     "Your eyes were blue again." Seokjin stopped, he leaned against the fence and looked up at the moon.

     "So all I have to do is make my eyes blue and I can get you to do anything?" Jungkook smirked, joking.

     "Don't get cocky." He expelled his breath to watch the stream of air turn to fog and turned to Jungkook. "I needed a break anyway."

     Jungkook leaned against the fence and glanced at the moon. "Almost full." He observed aloud.

     Seokjin noticed that the light of the moon was making Jungkook's scar prominent, it brought all the thoughts he had in the last hour back. A seriousness took over his face, "What happens if I can't kill Jacker?" 

     Jungkook turned to him, "You will."

     "But if I can't?" Seokjin agonized. "He's gonna come after you."

     "Well, I won't go down without a fight," Jungkook promised. 

     "He is a lot harder to kill than I am." Seokjin shook his head, "I don't know if I'm strong enough."

     "You're the strongest person I know, don't doubt yourself now." Jungkook grabbed Seokjin by the shoulders. "You go in this scared and he will pick you apart."

     "I'm being realistic," Seokjin took a deep breath. "I'm not scared to die, but I'm scared of what will happen to you if I don't make it."

     Jungkook felt an instant sadness, Seokjin was more worried for him than he was for himself, he wasn't sure what to say to him. If someone as strong as Seokjin thought that he wasn't a match for Jacker, then what the hell was Jungkook going to do?

 

     Abram had made them all beef stroganoff for dinner, it was clear to see he had Noni's knack in the kitchen. Jungkook almost felt like he was back at the castle, he had helped himself to two hearty helpings before burping and pushing away his plate. Taehyung recalled their day at the museum, telling them about all the artifacts he got to hold, he was especially impressed with the late 1600 royal sword from some bloody human battle that had killed a king and almost ruined a kingdom.  

     An hour after dinner, they all wished each other a good night and Seokjin and Jungkook headed up to the bedroom. Jungkook kicked off his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Seokjin took off his shirt and set it over the back of the chair. The elder had been quiet all through dinner and even though he wasn't much of a talker normally, the quiet made Jungkook uneasy.

     "Abram is like a male version of Noni." Jungkook smiled, hoping to ease the tension a bit.

     "Yeah, I know." Seokjin sat on the chair and removed his shoes. He was just staring at the floor, deep in thought.

     "I really like him." He continued, only to be met with an unenthusiastic nod from the elder. Jungkook could see his small talk wasn't going to be much good, so he cut right to business, "How hard do you think it will be to find those daggers?" 

     "We only need one." Seokjin glanced over, reminding him.

     "I'm sure Madama Kimura will be helpful-"

     "Yeah, because she has been so helpful up until now about this whole fucking thing." Seokjin exhaled, shaking his head.

     Jungkook felt dejected, he wanted to cheer Seokjin up, give him hope, but it seemed like nothing he could say would make a difference. He laid back on the bed and stared at the light on the ceiling. Seokjin seemed to feel the vibe, he stood and went over and climbed into the bed next to him, Jungkook looked over at him startled, Seokjin's face was so close to his.

     "Whatever happens, I want you to know that I will do whatever I can to make sure Jacker doesn't win." Seokjin promised him.

     "I know." Jungkook nodded, somehow he sensed everything would be okay. The elder had this knack for calming him down, even with a gesture so simple as laying next to him. He stared at Seokjin's lips, so tempting, so close...

     A loud crash sounded downstairs and they both sat up suddenly, looking towards the door.

     "What was that?" Jungkook questioned, worried.

     "Stay here." Seokjin grabbed his gun and was out of the room in a matter of seconds. Jungkook hurried to the window and scanned the outside, there was no one out there; no cars, no henchmen, no machine guns aimed at the house. It was probably just the dog. _Yes, just the dog._

     Downstairs, Taehyung was cleaning up a broken teacup that lay shattered on the floor. Seokjin crept into the room, gun aimed straight at his temple.

     "Woh killer, aim that away from my head." Taehyung held up his hands, the glass fell back to the floor.

     "What are you doing?" Seokjin gave a quick glance around the room before he uncocked the gun and stuck it in his belt.

     "It was dark, I bumped the table." Taehyung started to pick up the glass again. Jungkook stepped into the doorway and leaned against the jamb, relieved there were no intruders to fight off.

     "I thought you were sleeping." Seokjin bent down to help him clean up the cup, setting the pieces on the table.

     "I thought of something, I wanted to look it up." Taehyung answered, "Jesus, don't be so damn tense."

     "Tense?" Seokjin hissed. "You want to see tense?" He grabbed Taehyung by the shirt and in one sudden movement pinned him to the wall with a thud, shaking the pictures on the wall. Jungkook leaped forward to try to break them up.

     "Woh, Seokjin, chill." Jungkook bellowed, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

     "Dude, I'm sorry." Taehyung gasped.

     "After the other night, I would think you would be a little more careful." Seokjin let him go and glanced at Jungkook, then back to Taehyung as he backed away glowering at him, a warning in his eyes.. "This isn't a fucking joke." 

     They watched as he left the room, Taehyung glared at Jungkook, eyes wide. "What the fuck was that?" 

     "He's on edge." Jungkook was apologetic.

     "Go give him a massage or something, holy fuck," Taehyung grumbled, he grabbed a book and thumped down onto the couch, opening it abruptly.

 

     Seokjin was staring out the window when Jungkook returned to the room. He shut the door and leaned his back against it, biting his lip, he wondered if he should say anything.

     "Sorry." Seokjin apologized before the younger could even say a word. "I need to blow off steam."

     "Go find a deer," Jungkook suggested, joining him at the window.

      Seokjin glared at him. "There's something I want a little more-"

     "What?" Jungkook asked as they locked eyes.

     Seokjin leaned in and kissed him, "You."

     Jungkook's heart skipped several beats, he thought it might have stopped for a moment. _Oh fuck, please tell me I'm not dreaming this!_

     Seokjin pushed Jungkook over to the bed, he ripped off Jungkook's shirt and pushed him down, kissing his lips as he straddled him. Jungkook gulped, both a little scared and turned on at the same time, his heart beating so loudly he felt like it was playing the drums. Seokjin held his arms down and kissed Jungkook's neck, biting gently, Jungkook squirmed, every inch of him tingled. He wriggled his arm out from Seokjin's grasp and grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him down, engulfing him in a kiss. He never wanted anything so bad in his life, the elder's lip practically melted into his, beckoning him.

     Seokjin's sweet, plump lips invaded his body, sucking down on his neck, working his way down the ripples of his abs. He hovered at the younger's waistline, unfastening the button and sliding his pants off. Jungkook had only dreamt of this moment up until now, nothing could prepare him for the intensity he felt all over, the heat, the throbbing that took over his mid-region, the fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Se-Seokjin, I..I've never-"

     Seokjin leaned up to look into his eyes, "Don't worry."

     Jungkook's breath hitched as Seokjin sucked down on his neck again, biting harder this time. Jungkook arched his back, throwing his head back, _Oh god.._ He moaned out, every single inch of him longed for Seokjin. 

 

     Downstairs, Taehyung was trying his hardest to ignore the light thumping overhead, he brushed off the plaster that had let loose from the ceiling and landed in the book on his lap. He smirked, looking up at the ceiling.  "Glad someone is having fun."

     

     The next morning, Taehyung and Abram were seated at the kitchen table, they were halfway done with breakfast when Jungkook sauntered in, a little spring in his step.

     "Didn't think you were gonna get up." Taehyung winked. Jungkook smirked and poured a cup of coffee.

     "Where is Seokjin, Madame Kimura will be here shortly." Abram held out a plate of buttered toast to Jungkook and he took one.

     "Shower." Jungkook sat down next to Taehyung. "Thanks."

     Taehyung leaned in and whispered in Jungkook's ear. "Stress relieved?" He sat back upright and raised his eyebrows up and down.

     "Perv." Jungkook smiled. _Stress definitely relieved_.

     Seokjin joined them ten minutes later, grabbing some toast, he sat down and grabbed the jam from the table. "Why is she always late?" He asked as he meticulously spread the jam to each corner of the bread.

     "A lady always makes a grand entrance." Abram smiled. "And she is is careful, likes to make sure she isn't being followed."

     Seokjin glanced at Jungkook who was tearing bits of his toast off and stuffing them in his mouth, the elder smiled and took a bite of his toast. He definitely did not expect any of last night to happen, but he was glad it did. Jungkook glanced at him and they locked eyes for a brief moment before a knock on the door interrupted their moment. They both stood and followed Abram into the living room as he went over to the door and opened it.  An older Japanese woman walked in, carrying the same dog from before. Her hair was tied in a messy bun and her clothes were disheveled, she looked as if she had just run several miles in a wind storm. Taehyung joined them in the room, and she stuffed the dog into his arms, walking over to Seokjin.

     "I don't have much time. You need the dagger-" She started, but then suddenly snapped her head towards Jungkook, "Something is different about you." She looked him up and down as if trying to put her fingers on what had changed, she then turned to Seokjin and smiled. She knew.

     "Are you being followed?" Abram was oblivious to what was going on between Jungkook and Seokjin.

     "Always." She grabbed Seokjin by his shoulders. "He has broken through your exterior," her smile widened, "This is good."

     Seokjin looked at her like she had gone crazy. "Good?"

     "You aura is different now. Red means passion and also power, your love for him is what will help you. You were red when you were born too." She took his hand in her own. "Jacker knows you are seeking the dagger. He has his people looking for them now, he wants to destroy them."

     Seokjin had remembered at the hotel, she had remarked that his aura was magenta then, meaning he was alone or a loner, he couldn't quite recall the whole conversation, he didn't know what all this aura stuff meant, but she said it was good. _Jungkook is changing you._ He smiled.

     "What makes these daggers so special?" Taehyung asked. "Why can't we just chop off his head and be done with him?"

     "Hell demons can respawn from ashes, much like a phoenix." She told him, Seokjin snapped out of his daydream and he glared at her. "The daggers are made from a special metal that prevents that. It's the only thing in existence that can poison them." 

     "Where do we find them?" Seokjin questioned and she turned back to him.

     "I can only point you in the right direction." She pulled out a map and handed it to him. "The exact location is something you will need to find yourself."

     "Needle in a haystack," Seokjin commented, his smile quickly turned into a frown.

     She walked over to Jungkook and whispered into his ear. "Stick to his side, don't let him do this alone."  

     "Okay." He whispered back, nodding.

     "You have the advantage of the map, but Jacker has ways of making people talk and he knows someone who knows the general location of the other dagger, so your mission cannot fail. I must go now. I will be in touch." She turned to Abram and he walked her out.

     Seokjin unrolled the map and set it out on the table. Jungkook and Taehyung leaned over to examine it. "This looks-"

     "Difficult." Taehyung finished his sentence. "I've been hiking there." 

     "Is there anything you haven't done?" Seokjin asked, rolling the map back up.

     "Sure." Taehyung shrugged, "But it's probably on my bucket list." 

     Taehyung went and sat on the couch, he began scrolling through his phone, determined to reacquaint himself with the cave system. Seokjin shook his head annoyed, he handed the map to Jungkook and walked back into the kitchen. 

     "Have I done something to offend him?" Taehyung looked at Jungkook. Jungkook shook it off, he couldn't think of anything other than it just being part of Seokjin's personality to dislike people.

 

      Later that night, Seokjin was plopped down in front of the fireplace, stoking the coals. It seemed extra chilly tonight...or maybe it was the realization that this whole quest to kill Jacker was becoming more and more difficult, it was making him feel stressed. His body wasn't used to this, usually, he could combat stress with working out and training, usually he didn't have to worry about someone else's life depending on his ability to succeed. Jungkook brought him a soda and sat down next to him, opening his own. Tomorrow they would head back home and start to look for the dagger. Jungkook could sense that Seokjin was anxious.

     "Wish I had some encouraging words for you." Jungkook took a sip of the soda and focused on the fire.

     "You should get some sleep." Seokjin looked over at him, the glow of the fire danced on his skin, the younger looked tired.

     "You coming?" Jungkook didn't want to leave Seokjin alone.

     "Listen, about last night-" 

     "It was fine." Jungkook smiled, thinking about it. It was more than fine, it was amazing.

     "I hope I didn't scare you-"

     "It was fine," Jungkook repeated, enunciating the last word.

     "I'm new to this whole caring about someone else thing," Seokjin confessed.

     "Me too," Jungkook replied, this was his first sexual experience, his first _everything_ experience.

     "Right." Seokjin blushed.

     "Are you blushing?" Jungkook teased.

     "No." Seokjin lied. "Maybe. Shut up." They both laughed. It felt good to laugh for a moment, to just forget everything that had happened and that was to come. Seokjin leaned in and kissed Jungkook. "Get some sleep."

     "I love you Seokjin." Jungkook blurted out, Seokjin smiled at how Jungkook's eyes nearly grew two sizes at the realization of what he just said.

     "I know." He moved the hair from Jungkook's eyes, staring into them for a moment, "I love you too."

     Jungkook's heart exploded into a million pieces, he stood up, a warm feeling overtook his body. Seokjin loved him, he actually told him he loved him. _Oh my God!_  He could barely contain the grin that just appeared out of nowhere, spreading across his mouth. "Don't stay up too late, you need sleep too." Jungkook reminded him.

     "Goodnight." Seokjin watched as Jungkook practically bounced up the stairs. There must have been a grinning epidemic, he couldn't help it, the jubilation he felt at this very moment was too much to contain. He turned back to the fire. _I am in love with Jungkook. Holy shit!_


	14. Anger

   

     The flight home was long, but Jungkook had the memory of hearing Seokjin tell him he loved him constantly running through his mind. _He loves you! Holy shit..._ Jungkook became overly giddy at the pure notion that Seokjin had actually fallen in love with him and not only that, he right out told him, _I love you too_... he was about to fanboy all over the plane. _Calm down before they kick you off._ He chuckled to himself as he glanced over at Taehyung who had not put the 'Book of Caves' book down since they left Abram's. Seokjin was two rows up seated with some smelly guy, napping. He knew the guy was smelly because Seokjin had looked back at him twice before takeoff, making a face and holding his nose. Jungkook had laughed and told him to suck it up.

     "I think I know which cave system the dagger could be in." Taehyung pointed to a map in his book, "It's the deepest and has a lot of winding caves."

     "If it were me, I'd stick it in a smaller one, it'd be less predictable," Jungkook remarked, laying his head back.

     "That's not how things work." Taehyung pointed out. He looked up at the stewardess coming down the aisle, wheeling the drink cart. She kept glancing at Seokjin, then back at her cart. Taehyung was getting an uneasy feeling. "Be ready, I think some shit is about to go down."

     Jungkook lifted his head, "Huh?"

     Taehyung motioned with his eyes towards the stewardess and then to Seokjin. "She keeps staring at him."

     "Well, he is hot." Jungkook reminded him.

     "Can we forget your hormones for two seconds?" Taehyung rolled his eyes.

     "You really think they would pull something on the plane?" Jungkook asked, one eyebrow raised in doubt.

     "Wouldn't you?" Taehyung answered, "Just keep an eye on her."

     "Sure." Jungkook retorted and laid his head back down. Taehyung frowned, continuing his surveillance _alone_.

 

     They landed shortly after nightfall. Taehyung had fallen asleep about an hour into recon and lost track of the stewardess, he hoped maybe he was wrong about her, but his gut said otherwise. _Stay_ v _igilant, Tae!_

     They made their way inside the airport terminal, dragging feet to find the baggage area to collect their bags. Seokjin was half awake, feeling jet-lagged, between the plane and the last few days, he hadn't gotten much sleep. 

     "See, you worry too much." Jungkook bopped Taehyung on the head, smirking. 

     "Mmm," Taehyung wasn't convinced, his bad feeling had intensified the moment they stepped off the escalator to the lower floor, he kept looking around to make sure they weren't being followed.

     "Worry?" Seokjin questioned, yawning.

     "Taehyung thinks the stewardess was stalking you." Jungkook teased.

     "She is." Seokjin stopped next to a giant plant that was situated in the corner of the hallway connecting two areas, he took a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, then reached his hand back behind the plant, and in one swift motion, grabbed the stewardess by the back of the neck and pulled her out. He kicked the bathroom door that was next to them open and pushed her in. Taehyung and Jungkook exchanged glances and quickly joined him.

     "Why are you following us?" Seokjin had one clawed hand wrapped around her neck while using his other forearm to hold her against the wall.

    "I am not going to tell you anything." She hissed.

     "Suit yourself." He drew blood as he tightened his grip, piercing her skin with his claws.

     "Wait-wait." She begged, "It's not that sinister."

     Seokjin showed no emotion, he just stared at her, his eyes black as tar. 

     "I was hired to follow you."  She huffed, "That's all."

     "You really suck at your job," Seokjin sneered, not believing one word of her story.

     "I just had to see where you would go, those were my instructions." She looked at each of them.

     "You're lying." Seokjin challenged, "And you're scared."

     "I sw-swear." She insisted.

     "By who?" Taehyung broke in.

     "I don't know, it was a voice on a phone." She answered, panicked. She was sweating profusely, droplets ran down her cheek and soaked her collar. Her eyes darted nervously to each of them before settling on Seokjin again.

     Jungkook covered his mouth, there was a weird smell emanating from her, he backed up, "What is that smell?" 

     Taehyung started to smell it too, he peered down at her hand balled up in her jacket pocket like she was holding something. "Pocket-"

     She pulled out a tiny canister from her pocket, waving it around like it was a bomb, "Just back off and no one will get hurt."

     Seokjin let her go and backed up, glaring at her hand, he smirked. "You're not leaving here alive."

     "Then neither are you!" She shook the canister and popped the casing.

     A weird green gas began to pour out of it, filling the room with noxious fumes fast. She threw it to the floor, covering her mouth with her hand. Taehyung and Jungkook backed out of the bathroom, coughing. Seokjin scooped up the canister, turning towards the woman as she tried to push past him, he grabbed her wrist, swung her around and jammed it into her mouth, breaking it. She gagged and fell backward into one of the stalls, leaving behind deep claw marks in the door as she tried to grab it. He slammed it shut and leaned against it, covering his nose with his coat sleeve. She banged against the door a few times as he held it shut, thumping against it with her body weight, but it wouldn't budge, Seokjin's strength was too much. Her muffled screeches echoed around the room, followed by some really unpleasant retching.

     Then there was a thud! Her body fell to the floor, rolling partially out from under the stall, her eyes staring up at him with the desperation of an imminent death. She expelled a puff of the gas as her hands fell to her side, her eyes rolled up into her head, the world behind them faded away. Two seconds later, she was dead.

     Body disposal in a busy airport was not Seokjin's favorite thing, but thank goodness there were means to get rid of all evidence. Albeit, smelly and dirty.

 

     Jungkook and Taehyung climbed into the car as Seokjin started it up. He peeled out of the parking space, turning the steering wheel quick, he floored it out of the airport parking lot and was down the rampway less than ten seconds later.

     "What was that?" Jungkook was panicked, buckling himself in.

     "Hemlock probably" Taehyung spoke up, clicking the buckle. "I've never seen it in gas form before."

     "In small doses, it's used to subdue a violent werewolf, usually when they first change after a bite." Seokjin glanced in his rearview mirror.

     "Small doses?" Jungkook asked.

     "Yeah, like the equivalent of a teaspoon." He pulled out onto the highway and gunned it.

     "Was she trying to kill us?" Jungkook wondered, out loud.

     "Hold on, we're being followed." Seokjin swerved in and out of lanes around the slow cars, Jungkook braced himself.

     He peered out the back window, but he didn't see anything but a bunch of cars fading into the background. "I don't see anyone." 

     "You need to work on your senses." Seokjin pulled off on an exit, turning down a few roads then skidding to a stop on a narrow cul-de-sac. Before Jungkook could blink, Seokjin had grabbed his gun from the glove compartment and exited the car.

     Jungkook turned to Taehyung, alarmed. "What is he doing?"

     They both plastered their faces against the glass to watch.

     Seokjin fired off several shots at someone rapidly approaching on a motorcycle, the bullets hit the driver who flew off, rolled a few times, then came to a hard stop in the grass. The motorcycle had jumped the curb and crashed into a tree, making a terrible racket. Several porch lights flipped on as Seokjin made his way over to the man, the white smoke pouring out of the engine covered the scene perfectly, keeping him just out of view to nosey onlookers. Seokjin stood there a moment, gun aimed at their head, but the person didn't get up. Seokjin stuck his gun in the holster and then got back into the car and pulled off.

   

      Back at the castle, Seokjin vacated the car and hurried inside, leaving Taehyung and Jungkook alone to get the bags.

     "He's in a good mood," Taehyung commented, popping open the trunk.

     "I really suck at this whole thing," Jungkook sighed. "You were right about that girl too." 

     "You're still young, no offense." Taehyung plopped the suitcase down on the asphalt. "We have many more years of experience than you."

     Jungkook picked up the suitcase and shook his head, he was so disappointed with himself. He clomped inside and dropped the suitcase down as Noni came into the foyer. Taehyung came in behind him, grinning the minute he saw her warm smile.

     "You both must be so hungry." Noni gushed, "How was your trip?"

     "Not so good." Jungkook pouted.

     Noni looked at Taehyung as he came to stand next to Jungkook. "What happened?" She asked him.

     "I'll tell you over dinner." Taehyung smiled, patting his gurgling stomach.

     "I'm not hungry, I'm gonna go lay down." Jungkook stared at the floor as he shuffled towards the stairs.

 

     He went straight to his room and collapsed onto the bed, he was exhausted and feeling really useless at the moment, like he let Seokjin down somehow. There was so much he didn't know about this world and even more that he didn't understand. _What good am I to him if I don't know shit_?

     He laid there for a good fifteen minutes, just thinking about it all - wondering how out of the last 10 years he knew about as much now as he did when he arrived. What the hell had he done? Learn to fight? for what, so that he could face opponents and know nothing about their weak spots? So he couldn't do something so simple as to sense when he was being followed?  _Ugh,_ I _'m_   _Just a dumb kid._

     A knock sounded on the door and he raised his head, glaring over as Seokjin walked in. He laid his head back down, not wanting to face the elder.

     "Taehyung said you didn't eat." Seokjin sat on the edge of the bed and Jungkook rolled over on his side, not facing him.

     "Wasn't hungry."

     "Are you feeling sick from the gas?" Seokjin asked, a hint of worry echoed in his voice.

     "I'm fine, I just want to be alone," Jungkook grumbled, closing his eyes.

     Seokjin looked down at the carpet and sighed. "Okay." He stood and walked to the door, looking back at Jungkook, "Lemme know if you need anything."

     Jungkook didn't move. _He just needs to sleep it off,_  Seokjin agreed with himself and walked out.

 

     Jungkook spent most of the night in the library reading about werewolves, vampires, and other creatures that existed in this vast world of mysteriousness, studying up on everything he could. Most of the books were just boring lore and he had already nodded off twice, but, he was determined that by morning he would be well versed in at least one species.

     Seokjin came in at daybreak, worried when he didn't find Jungkook in his room. The library was the last place he thought he'd find the younger as it was usually only a place to hide to get out of chores or to hide from Taehyung or Jimin after a prank. He sat on the edge of the table by Jungkook's resting head, picking up one of the books, _'Vampires of the Lost City'._

     "What are you doing?" Seokjin looked at the huge pile of books on the floor by Jungkook's feet as he set the book back down.

     "Reading, what does it look like?" Jungkook snapped, leaning up to glare at him.

     "Sudden fascination with supernatural lore?"

     "Do you have a purpose for being here?' Jungkook huffed.

     "You wanna chill a bit?" Seokjin stood up.

     "You want to back off a bit?" Jungkook hissed, his anger was getting the better of him.

     "Yeah sure, no problem." Seokjin grabbed the book in front of Jungkook and threw it on the floor as he walked towards the door.

     "Really fucking mature." Jungkook stomped over to pick it up.

     "Fuck off," Seokjin yelled back and slammed the door.

     Seokjin found himself at his parents grave, staring at their tombstones. He wasn't going to let Jungkook's mood bother him too much, he knew people (especially their kind) had mood issues from time to time, he just wondered what was going on in Jungkook's head to make him so moody. A big part of him wanted to just ignore him for awhile, but he decided he would just chill and let Jungkook come to him. He had to laugh at himself - acting like a damn normal person in love. He looked up at the grey sky as he put up his hood, it was extra chilly this morning.

 

     Jungkook didn't see Seokjin for the rest of that day, he hadn't even come down for dinner at his normal seven p.m. time either. He thought Seokjin might be avoiding him, but then he had found out that Namjoon had sent him to get the supplies for their little quest. He really needed to tell Seokjin he was sorry for being such an ass.

     Seokjin pulled into his parking spot shortly after ten p.m., Jungkook slipped on his jacket and went down to help. Seokjin was opening his trunk, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Jungkook was coming towards him.

     "Calmed down?" Seokjin thrust some ropes into Jungkook's arms as he was about to answer. "We leave early tomorrow, so I would suggest you get some sleep."

     Jungkook looked at Seokjin, "Can we talk for a second?"

     "Grab the rest of the stuff from the trunk, I'll be inside," Seokjin ordered and headed through the front door.

      _Okay, so he's not going to make this easy._ Jungkook frowned and walked over to the trunk.

     Jungkook set the boxes down in the middle of the room, standing there for a good thirty seconds, waiting. Seokjin was nowhere to be seen and he wasn't about to chase him down like some pathetic love-sick puppy. He tromped over to the steps and was halfway up when Seokjin appeared at the top.

     "I'm going to bed," Jungkook commented as he pushed past Seokjin and disappeared into his room. Seokjin focused on the ceiling, debating if he should go talk to the younger, he had a lot of work still left to do before morning, but he felt they wouldn't be off to a good start if he didn't at least find out what Jungkook wanted to talk to him about. He turned around and knocked on the door.

     "Can I come in?" Seokjin called through the door when Jungkook didn't answer, he turned the doorknob but it was locked.

     "I'm tired," Jungkook called back.

     "Just open the door, Jungkook." Seokjin banged against it harder. "I will break the fucking thing."

     Seokjin could hear Jungkook sigh inside and then a few moments later, he heard the lock click. Jungkook was back laying on his bed when Seokjin walked in. He closed the door behind him, thinking for a moment about what to say.

     "What do you want?" Jungkook asked, a slight annoyance apparent.

     "What's your deal?" Seokjin glared at him.

     Jungkook sat up, not looking at the elder, instead choosing to stare at a stain on his carpet. "I was trying to apologize for being an ass, but-" He stopped short. "You-"

     "I don't care if you get pissy with me, I'm not that sensitive...I just want to know what your problem is." Seokjin leaned on Jungkook's nightstand.

     "I suck." Jungkook looked up at him, tears welled up in his eyes. "At this whole thing, I don't even know when we're being followed-"

     Seokjin took a deep breath, smirking. Jungkook looked back down. "You're still a whelp." Seokjin rested his hand on Jungkook's shoulder.

     "I don't think this is amusing." Jungkook moved away from Seokjin and stood.

     "I'm not smiling because I think it's funny." Seokjin stood back up. "I think most of us feel useless at your age."

     "Somehow I don't think you were as pathetic as me." Jungkook scoffed, glowering at the elder.

     "No, but then again, I saw my parents killed and almost died myself, so I felt like I had to be tougher, train myself harder," Seokjin admitted, "That and all I wanted to do was kill Jacker."

     "Great, so like I said, I'm a fucking wimp."

     "Jungkook, I was raised around this, I knew what I was from the time I was three years old-"

     "I came here when I was eight." Jungkook shook his head, his age was not an excuse. "I didn't even fucking bother to learn about anything, other than how to fight and algebra, what the fuck is the point of algebra?"

     "It all comes in time." Seokjin was trying to be sympathetic, but he was sure he wasn't succeeding. He didn't really know how Jungkook felt, but he knew that the younger was upset and that bothered him.

     "No excuse, I failed." Jungkook turned to Seokjin, too irritated to continue their talk. "Just leave, you're not helping."

     "No, I'm not leaving with you like this-" Seokjin was interrupted by Jungkook grabbing his arm and pulling him up.

     "I'll be fine, just go." Jungkook pushed Seokjin towards the door. "I just want to sleep."

     Seokjin couldn't hide that he was hurt, Jungkook looked away. "Jungkook-"

     "Just leave me the fuck alone." Jungkook barked, moping over to his bed.

     Seokjin watched as Jungkook plopped down on the mattress. His demeanor changed suddenly, like he flipped off his emotion switch, he straightened his shirt, uttering, "You should probably just sit this whole quest thing out anyway."

     Jungkook looked up at him confused, "What?"

     "You're just gonna get in the way and I don't want to have to worry about you doing something stupid while we're in the caves," Seokjin said flatly, he then turned and opened the door.

     "Are you serious?"

     Seokjin stared straight into Jungkook's soul, showing no emotion. "Don't really need you there anyway."

     Jungkook felt like all the breath had been knocked out of him, he watched as Seokjin turned and walked out, leaving the door open behind him. A tear escaped his eyes as he walked over to the door and slammed it, cursing himself. He wiped his eyes and yelled out in frustration. "Fuck!"

      _I'd like to see you try and stop me._


	15. Trails

   

     Seokjin was up early loading the trunk of his car. Taehyung was helping, walking back and forth from a small pile of supplies sitting on the ground and bringing them over to the car and handing them to Seokjin. Jimin was standing off to the side spectating, muttering something about the caves and how he and Taehyung used to camp out and chase each other down the trails when they were little.

     Jungkook peeked out the window from the top floor of the castle, he slipped his jacket on as he flew down the stairs to the foyer, zipping it up once he reached the bottom. He pushed the doors to the outside open and promenaded out, making sure to eye Seokjin the whole time. The elder stopped for a second to stare at him and then continued his work, pretending Jungkook wasn't there.

     "Sleeping in?" Jimin teased as the younger stopped next to him.

     "Sure."Jungkook grimaced, not taking his eyes off Seokjin.

     Taehyung strode over, his face scrunched up in curiosity, "Seokjin said you weren't coming?"

     "I'm coming." Jungkook assured him, "I don't care what the fuck he says."

     "Something happen between you two?" Taehyung asked, picking up the last backpack from the ground.

     "Don't really wanna talk about it." Jungkook declared and glared over at Seokjin once again, the elder shut the trunk and then turned to them.

     "Ready?" He asked Taehyung, ignoring Jungkook.

     "I'm confused," Taehyung stated, looking from Jungkook to Seokjin, then back to Jungkook.

     "Just get in the car," Seokjin whined. He trudged around the car and opened the driver's side door, about to climb in.

     "You're really not gonna let me come?" Jungkook questioned.

     Seokjin glowered at him, his eyebrow raised, he shook his head in disbelief, he wasn't even going to give the younger the satisfaction of an answer. He got in the car and started it up. Taehyung was in shock, his mouth agape, brought back to reality at the beep of Seokjin's horn. He gawked at Jungkook, shrugging apologetically as he hurried over to the car. Jungkook watched as Seokjin backed up, and then skidded out, a stream of exhaust jetted out of the back of the car as he headed down the long driveway.

     Jungkook ran over to the motorcycles parked on the side of the house, there was no way Seokjin was leaving him behind. He jumped on one as he threw a helmet on, then started it up. It was only the third time he had driven the thing so he was a little nervous, he accidentally stalled it out...twice. _Concentrate dumbass!_ He started it up a third time, revved the engine a bit and then peeled out, almost wiping out as he ran up on the grass. He swerved around the curb and gunned it down to the gate.

     

     Seokjin glanced in the rearview mirror, Jungkook was approaching fast. Taehyung peered over his shoulder out the back window.

     "What is he doing?" Taehyung exclaimed, turning back to Seokjin.

     Seokjin threw it into 5th gear and stepped on the gas, but Jungkook hit the throttle and quickly caught up to them. They swerved in and out of a few cars, the younger narrowly missing hitting the back of a slow-moving truck. Seokjin floored it and Taehyung grabbed his armrest as the acceleration plastered his body to the seat, he leaned over to read the speedometer, he gasped. It read 120 mph.

     "Holy shit Seokjin, slow down, you're gonna get him killed." Taehyung looked back out at Jungkook.

     Seokjin sighed and slowed down, pulling off onto the side of the road and screeching to a stop. Jungkook pulled up behind him and turned off the motor, swatting away the dust that the two vehicles kicked up. He took off his helmet as Seokjin tromped over to him.

     "What the fuck are you doing?" Seokjin yelled in a huff.

     "You can't stop me from coming." Jungkook was smug.

     "I can shoot your ass." Seokjin was aggravated, about ready to wipe the smirk off the younger's face.

     "Yeah, try it." Jungkook got off the motorcycle and stood face to face with Seokjin, jaw clenched.

     "Go home, Jungkook," Seokjin ordered, two seconds away from dropping him.

     "No." Jungkook held his ground, balling up his fists.

     Seokjin swiftly pulled out his gun and cocked it, then aimed it at Jungkook's head, his arm trembling with anger. "Go home."

     "You're going to kill me?' Jungkook growled, "Fucking do it."

     Taehyung clambered out of the car in a hurry and sprinted over to Seokjin, grabbing his arm and pulling it down, "What the hell are you doing?" 

     Seokjin closed his eyes and uncocked the gun, he turned to glare at Taehyung jaw clenched, agitated that he interfered. 

     "You two need to work out whatever the hell is going on, like right fucking now." Taehyung advised. "Seriously." He rolled his eyes and walked back to the car, mumbling about spending his time with two dumbasses.

     Seokjin looked at Jungkook, eyebrows raised. They stared at each other for a few moments.

     "I'm not going to apologize for coming out here." Jungkook broke the silence.

     "Can we just keep our minds on the objective here? I can't deal with your hissy fits right now." Seokjin professed.

     "Hissy fit? I told you I felt like I failed-"

     "And then you basically told me to fuck off." Seokjin interrupted. "I don't want to deal with you right now, so just go back home."

     "You're such an insensitive prick sometimes," Jungkook responded.

     "Yup." Seokjin agreed.

     "Do you even care how I feel?" Jungkook was near tears, but he refused to cry.

     Seokjin sensed the younger's turmoil, he felt bad for a moment and he knew he shouldn't be acting this way, but being rejected by Jungkook caused him to feel something he didn't like one bit - anguish. "Just go home." He sighed and turned to walk back towards the car.

     "I take back what I said before, I fucking hate you." Jungkook grabbed his helmet and got back on the motorcycle. Seokjin stopped dead in his tracks, the words hit him hard, the younger physically yanking his heart from his chest would be less painful. He marched straight over to Jungkook and before Jungkook could slip on the helmet, he grabbed it, keeping the younger from putting it on. Jungkook struggled to pull it free.

      "Don't ever say that," Seokjin yelled, unable to hide the glint of sorrow in his eyes. Jungkook broke through Seokjin's hard exterior and stung him hard with such a simple word..  _Hate._

     "I may have a lot to learn about the supernatural, but you have a lot to learn about being a decent human being." Jungkook pulled his helmet free and slipped it on his head and started up the bike. Seokjin tried to speak a few times but Jungkook revved the engine to drown out his voice. Seokjin stood there frustrated, his hands on his hips, he looked down at the ground contemplating the life choices that lead him to this moment. If it had been anyone else, he would have taken the keys from the bike and threw them into the brush on the side of the road and left them there to suffer. He looked back up at Jungkook, his own reflection in the helmet staring back at him.

     "Get in the car." He mouthed and Jungkook turned off the bike.

     "What?" Jungkook's voice was muffled by the helmet.

     "Get in the car, Taehyung can drive." Seokjin held his hand out for the helmet, "I'll take the bike." 

     Jungkook took off the helmet and climbed off the bike. He looked at Seokjin a few moments before handing him the helmet. "Are you sure?"

     Seokjin grabbed the helmet from him and slipped it on. He climbed on the bike and started it up. Jungkook didn't wait for him to change his mind, he ran over to the car and opened the passenger side door, telling Taehyung to get out and drive. Taehyung protested a bit, but was just happy that they didn't kill each other.

     "You two were made for each other." He smirked, climbing into the driver's seat. "And to be frank, I am kind of surprised you're still walking."

     "Shut up and drive." Jungkook clicked his seat belt, smiling.

     

      They arrived at the state park a little over an hour later, Seokjin got off the bike scouting out the parking lot, he noticed there were several parked cars scattered throughout the lot, he had no clue if Jacker's men might be the owner of one..or all of them for that matter.  He took the helmet off and walked over to his car as Taehyung and Jungkook were climbing out. Taehyung pulled up a map on his phone, spinning around to try to pinpoint north in his mind. Jungkook took in a deep breath, admiring the backdrop.

     "It's about a mile hike," Taehyung called out facing north. He threw the keys to Seokjin, who opened the trunk. The elder threw a backpack to Jungkook and then another to Taehyung and then pulled one out for himself before closing the trunk and pocketing his keys.

     "Let's go." Seokjin leaned over to look at Taehyung's phone, pointing ahead. "North?"

     "Yeah." Taehyung put his phone in his pocket and put the backpack on, adjusting the straps to make it fit better. He glanced over at Jungkook who was struggling trying to fix the straps, he was about to go and help him, when Seokjin seized Jungkook's strap and adjusted it for him, trying his hardest not to look the younger in the eyes.

     "Thanks." Jungkook's tone suggested he was still pretty mad at Seokjin, but he wasn't about to cause an issue, he just wanted to get this over and get back to the castle, he had a strange feeling being out in the woods, like something bad was coming.

     "Stay close." Seokjin urged the younger. Jungkook just nodded, focusing his attention down to the ground and how _fascinating_ the dirt was at this very moment.

     They hiked about half a mile up a barely visible trail, the underbrush was so overgrown all around them, the weeds tickled their ankles as they passed through grass that topped off at hip level. Taehyung was doing a fair amount of babbling, he felt awkward, like a third wheel, except it wasn't because they were being all lovey-dovey, but because he could feel the tension between the two, talking just eased the journey for him. Jungkook noticed that Seokjin was wielding two daggers on his forearms, he assumed it was because bringing a gun to a state park was against some rule. He felt a bit vulnerable without any weapons himself, not that he really knew how to use one anyway. He was sure Seokjin was making some sort of a point by showing him how useless he was by not even giving him something to defend himself. _Oh don't be stupid, he wasn't even expecting you to come_.

     Seokjin suddenly stopped and held out his arm to block them from proceeding any further, Jungkook almost tripped, trying to avoid running into Taehyung, who stopped short as well.

     "What is it?" Taehyung spoke low.

     "You smell that?" Seokjin asked and Taehyung took a sniff of the air. There was a very musky scent - a werewolf scent - in the air.

     "Werewolf." Taehyung looked at Jungkook.

     "I think we're being followed." Seokjin took off his backpack and handed it to Jungkook, who was trying to catch a whiff, but all he could smell was nature; pine needles and flowers galore, but no werewolf. "Stay with him."

     Taehyung crouched down, trying to pinpoint where the smell was coming from. Jungkook felt useless, he had no clue what he should be doing, but before he could figure anything out, Taehyung pulled him down to the ground as Seokjin bolted off into the trees.

     "Stay quiet," Taehyung whispered. "Listen for footsteps."

     Jungkook only heard the distant ruffle of leaves and a couple bird chirps, nothing out of the ordinary. _This is stupid._... _wait._ Footsteps! Twigs crackling beneath two sets of feet headed their way, he looked over his right shoulder. "Over there." He nudged Taehyung. Through the brush, two men were headed towards them...

     "Be ready." Taehyung urged, he grabbed a hunting knife from his belt, ready to stab anything that dare attack them.

     The footsteps got closer, Jungkook could hear them talking..something about...Birds?  _They're talking about birds._ Just as Taehyung was about to pounce, Jungkook grabbed his arm, "They're hikers."

     Taehyung stopped to watch as the two men passed by them, oblivious to their surroundings. They were both carrying backpacks and using walking sticks to clear out some of the tall grass. He took a deep breath, listening to them talking about which trails might have the most wildlife. "Good catch." He patted Jungkook's head, the younger frowned.

     "Where did Seokjin go?" Jungkook stood up.

     Taehyung sniffed around and then pointed to the east. "That way."

     Jungkook started to walk, hurrying his pace along the thick grass, Taehyung toddling along right behind him. Forty feet up ahead there was a small clearing, Jungkook could see that Seokjin had a werewolf by the throat pinned against a tree, it's feet were dangling and It was snarling, trying to scratch at him.

     "How's it feel to know you're about to die?" Seokjin held firm, enjoying the struggle of its squirming body beneath his grasp. Jungkook stopped at the edge of the grass, watching in awe as Seokjin unsheathed one of his daggers, holding it up in front of the beast's eyes, taunting it. It protested fiercely, attempting to break free, its chest heaving as each breath became harder. Seokjin eyes turned black as he plunged the dagger into the beast's neck, twisting it around, making the beast growl in agony.

     Blood squirted out and landed at Taehyung's feet, he backed up, grimacing. "Just kill the thing already."

     Seokjin smirked, taking a deep breath, he pulled the blade from the beast and dropped the twitching body. He wiped the blood off on his sleeve then returned the dagger to its holster on his arm, watching its body go limp.

     "Was he alone?" Taehyung queried, appalled that Seokjin enjoyed the whole ritual a little too much.

     "Just one," Seokjin growled, his eyes returning to normal.

     "The only thing that would make this more epic is background music." Jungkook announced, grinning from ear to ear. Taehyung laughed and smacked his arm. Seokjin looked over at them both and smirked.

     Seokjin looked down as the now naked man turned to ash, "Let's go."

     "What was on those daggers?" Jungkook watched as the breeze carried the ash off into the air, then looked to Taehyung.

     "Pack secret." He kidded, watching the younger's smile fade from his mouth.  "I'll tell you when we get home."

     Jungkook looked down where the pile of ash had been,  _Just another thing I don't understand._ He sighed, directing his attention to Seokjin who was staring at him, the elder's gaze bore right through him. His heart skipped a beat.

     "Pack." Seokjin motioned towards the backpack that Jungkook had dropped a bit earlier and held out his hand waiting for the younger to hand it over.

     "Oh..right." Jungkook scooped up the backpack and threw it to him. He watched as Seokjin slipped it on, feeling stupid that he thought Seokjin might just be checking him out, he looked down, sulking. For a small moment, he forgot they were mad at each other.

     


	16. The Caves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who commented and for the kudos <3

     TRIGGER WARNING; hints of suicide. (one character telling another character to kill himself.)

 

     They finally arrived at the caves after what seemed like hours of quiet, awkward walking. Jungkook was growing more anxious the further they went, his unease seeped out of him like an invisible energy, affecting the whole atmosphere. Seokjin could feel it like it was a bug crawling on his skin.

     "Relax Jungkook." Seokjin rested his hand on the younger's shoulder and squeezed. Jungkook was glad that Seokjin put aside their issues for a second to comfort him, it made him feel a tad better.

     "I have a bad feeling," Jungkook admitted.

     Seokjin wondered if he should say something to the younger, but decided against it, he really wasn't good at making people feel better. He just wanted to get through these caves and concentrate on finding the dagger, he had no clue how long it would take or hard the task would be. But, he also felt bad looking at Jungkook, he knew he messed up. Partially. Jungkook messed up too, so he wasn't going to take all the blame in this.

     "Seokjin?" Taehyung brought him out of his daydream.

     "Huh?" Seokjin looked over at Taehyung, his demeanor went instantly 'back to business',  "I'm sure you have some idea of where to look in there?" 

     "I have my theories." Taehyung held out his phone, "I downloaded the map to my phone to make it easier to navigate."

     Seokjin looked at Jungkook, who was staring at him. "Are you okay?"

     Jungkook just nodded and looked away.

     "Good, I need you to be alert in there." Seokjin started, "I don't know what kind of shit we'll encounter, I don't want to have to worry about you getting hurt-"

     "I can handle myself." Jungkook snapped. He snatched the phone from Taehyung and stomped inside.

     "You could ease up on him a bit." Taehyung pointed out, then turned to follow Jungkook inside.

     Seokjin took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. _Just find the damn dagger and get out. That's all you have to do. Also, do not murder Taehyung!_

 

The caves were dark and damp and plagued with the smell of mold. The walls were saturated with some sort of weird slime that dripped down off a browning moss that clung to the stone and seemed to be growing down from the ceiling. Taehyung wanted to take a sample of it to study, but for all he knew, snipping a piece off could cause serious consequences. All these stimuli were amplified by their super senses, it was near unbearable to be down here. Jungkook had almost wished he listened to Seokjin and stayed home...almost, despite the circumstances, this was the most excitement he'd had in a long while.

     They walked a good twenty minutes down corridors that looked identical to the twenty before them, Jungkook couldn't distinguish one cave from another and swore they had circled back to the same spot no less than two times. One thing was for sure, if it wasn't for the map they would be lost.

     "Why would they put it in a cave where anyone could just find it?" Jungkook questioned, breaking the silence.

     "Yeah Jungkook, because it's just sitting in the middle of the floor for anyone to see." Seokjin chuckled.

     "You don't have to make fun of me," Jungkook yelled. "You're a fucking asshole."

     "Thanks," Seokjin commented, pushing past the two of them, he spotted a small light ahead.

     They entered a massive cavern, it was almost like it was carved out of the rocks by a craftsman, the walls were mismatched and a little too weirdly shaped to be natural, it stuck out like a sore thumb. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping a bluish liquid into pools beneath their feet, making it slippery to walk on. At least the air in here felt less toxic, Jungkook inhaled, feeling like he could finally breathe. He glanced over at Seokjin as the elder felt around against the walls, working his way out to the center of the cavern, his arms outstretched like he was guarding himself against bumping into an invisible wall. He stopped all of a sudden, listening intently- was that a ping? 

     Jungkook felt an odd, tingly feeling in his stomach and thought he might be getting sick or needed to fart, but it seemed like Taehyung and Seokjin felt it too, the looks on their faces meant something was amiss.

     "Do you feel that?" Taehyung asked, sporting a knowing grin. Seokjin looked at him.

     "This room has magic."  Seokjin smiled. He began to move around in small circles, his hands back in the air, searching.

     "Magic?" Jungkook asked.

     "You feel a tingly spot in your stomach?" Taehyung asked and patted the younger's tummy.

     "I thought it was gas," Jungkook smirked.

     "There's a hidden room here." Taehyung lit up, he looked like a kid in the candy store for the first time. "Witches use spells to cloak rooms, for hiding things..like daggers."

     "Here." Seokjin stood over a spot on the floor and peered down. He slipped off his backpack and quickly pulled out a rope. He spun around searching for a good spot to tie it off to, settling on the giant boulder across from him. He tied the rope around the rock and then tested it to make sure it was sturdy, pulling with a good deal of strength.

     "What is he doing?" Jungkook whispered to Taehyung.

     "Most of these rooms have quite a drop," Taehyung responded. "Security measures."

     "How do we get in?" Jungkook was interrupted by Seokjin yelling out a strange word, he turned to watch Seokjin kneel down and place his right hand flat on the ground, while firmly grasping the rope in his left hand. He chanted a few more words and the cavern shook, Jungkook clutched onto the side of the wall to steady himself.

     "Revelare!" Seokjin chanted his last word and prepared himself for something to happen. Nothing. "Revelare!" He yelled louder.

     Suddenly the floor gave out below Jungkook, the younger fell several feet before grabbing onto a rock that was protruding from the side, he looked down to see a big gaping hole opening up below his feet, he screamed out.

     "Holy shit." Taehyung gasped, bending down to try to grab Jungkook's arm. "Hold on-"

     "Clever." Seokjin grabbed the rope and threw it into the hole and stood over Taehyung, watching him struggle.

     "A little help?" Jungkook looked up at him, perturbed.

     "Move." Seokjin motioned to Taehyung, then kicked him. Taehyung stood and moved back, a huge grimace on his face. Seokjin knelt down, gripped Jungkook's arm and pulled him up.

     "You might want to try the rope next time." Seokjin joked and Jungkook gave him a look that suggested a murder was in his future.

     "No, I much rather fall to my death," Jungkook replied, dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure that would make you happy."

     Seokjin gazed at him, "That's not true."

     "Isn't it?" Jungkook looked away.

     "Why would you think that?" Seokjin's expression was glum, he didn't want the younger to feel like he stopped caring. 

     "Can we just find this fucking dagger already?" Jungkook peered down into the hole, determined not to cave into his feelings.

     "When we get back, we're having a long talk," Seokjin informed him and then turned his attention downward.

     "Great." Jungkook shook his head.

     "Do you sense anything?" Taehyung quickly changed the subject.

     "Something...is down there." Seokjin took a deep breath and then grabbed the rope, his mind was a bit scattered, all he could concentrate on was Jungkook. 

     "Only one way to find out." Taehyung tied off another rope next to Seokjin's and tossed the end over the side.

 

     At the bottom was a puny room - a claustrophobic's worst nightmare. The ceiling hung so low they could barely stand up, Seokjin's head was an inch from scraping the top. Jungkook felt like he was stuffed into an elevator-sized coffin, the room was closing in on him. He had to remind himself to breathe in and out.

     "We need more light." Taehyung straightened out the sconce that was hanging sideways off the wall, the candlelight reflected in his eyes making them glow menacingly. He passed his finger through the flame, it was cold to the touch. "This is some weird magic."

     Seokjin pulled out a large glow stick and shook it, then threw it down on the ground and backed up, bumping into Jungkook. "Sorry."

     It illuminated the area just enough to make out what was in the room - which was nothing. "It's empty," Jungkook announced.

     Taehyung picked up the glow stick and shined it against the walls. Everything was covered floor to ceiling with werewolf hieroglyphics. Taehyung was in awe, he ran his hand along the carvings as he looked up and down the wall, they had to be hundreds of years old. "Not empty."

     "Woh." Jungkook exclaimed turning around in a circle to admire it all. It was oddly beautiful.

     Taehyung took out his phone and snapped a few pictures, then returned it to his pocket with a reminder to himself to send to his brother once he had a signal. "Jimin is missing out."

     Jungkook noticed a section of the wall on the far left had a crown carved into the stone, it was painted gold with encrusted gems of many colors making a three-dimensional pattern along the edges, it swirled inward to showcase the large hand-sized emerald that was embedded into the middle.

     "A giant Emerald." Seokjin ran his finger along the surface, it glowed a brilliant green before dying out again.

     "Hoseok's handiwork." Taehyung smiled. The infamous Hoseok Jung that Taehyung had heard many stories about throughout his childhood.

     "Which means wherever this thing is hidden is going to be very fun to find." Seokjin sighed. "Why did it have to be Hoseok?"

     "Hoseok?" Jungkook asked Taehyung.

     "One of the first werewolf-witch hybrids was a particularly crafty one named Hoseok Jung." Taehyung joined Seokjin, goggling at the size of the green jewel and its mesmerizing brilliance. "He hid his treasure behind difficult puzzles to keep pesky plunderers from pillaging the loot."

     "Like pirate treasure?" Jungkook was feeling like a dolt at the moment.

     "He was a skilled thief." Seokjin threw in. "Still a lot of missing things floating around."

     "So, Hoseok is dead?" Jungkook looked to both of them.

     "Not exactly." Seokjin exchanged glances with Taehyung.

     "What's the secret?" Jungkook stood there, he felt like they were messing with him.

     "He's undead." Taehyung spat out, but his face suggested he was fibbing.

     "Bullshit." Jungkook smacked his arm.

     Seokjin rested his hand on the middle of the crown, covering the entirety of the emerald. A green outline circled his hand and the surface of the rock raised up a few inches. Seokjin turned the rock in a semicircle and pressed in, then backed up. The rock face opened up into a small chamber, it echoed through the room like a freight train was passing by. A wave of dust poofed out of the opening hitting them with a blast of dirty air.

     "I hate that part," Taehyung coughed, swatting the air.

     Jungkook chuckled, "How many chambers of treasure have you entered exactly?"

     "Six, give or take." Taehyung stopped short, as the dust cleared, he could make out a shape inside.

     "Stay alert," Seokjin warned, stepping inside.

     A large, black and white checkered throne sat smack dab in the middle of the stone room.

     "What the fuck is this shit?" Jungkook gasped as the throne did a 180 turn and sitting there was a young man, dressed in all white clothing - a pair of white leather trousers, a long flowy white gauze shirt and laced up white combat boots. His jet black hair lifted off his forehead by a garish golden crown adorned with glimmering emeralds. Covering his eyes were a pair of dark red round spectacles, which he slid down the bridge of his nose so he could ogle at them over the rims.

     "I was wondering how long it would be before more of you came searching for this place." Hoseok rose from the throne, straightening his shirt.

     "I guess if you're going to hide from the world, encasing yourself in a magic tomb is the best way," Seokjin smirked, almost impressed.

     Hoseok looked Seokjin up and down, "I haven't seen an onyx werewolf in a very long time." He smiled and then looked at Jungkook, "Let alone two."

     "How do you know that?" Jungkook couldn't control his curiosity, Hoseok strolled over to him.

     "It's in the smell." Hoseok poked Jungkook's face and Jungkook backed up, annoyed. "Squishy, ripe flesh."

     "So you know why we're here then?" Seokjin stepped in front of him, blocking Jungkook from Hoseok being too close.

     "Oh, usually the young ones don't bond this suddenly." He smiled as he looked around Seokjin to Jungkook. "Very protective."  Hoseok walked over to Taehyung. "I know you." He scrunched up his face in thought.

     "I don't think so," Taehyung answered, confused.

     "You're the son of the archive keeper," He thought for a moment. "Minwoo."

     "You know my Father?" Taehyung sputtered in disbelief.

     "Everyone knows your Father, how wouldn't they?" Hoseok laughed. "As far as I'm concerned, he is one of the most important men in werewolf history. You should ask him about Winnipeg one day." He winked and then turned to Seokjin.

     "We're here for a dagger-" Seokjin started.

     "Meant to kill the demon wolf no doubt." Hoseok went and plunked back down on his throne. "If you can figure out the puzzles, you can have it."

     Seokjin was agitated, he was hoping to bypass all the games and just get the dagger and be on his way. "Puzzles?"

     "One to test for physical prowess, the weakest of strength may never progress. Two, a test for power of brain, meant to outwit to weed out the lame. Three, the one proving most grim, the test to test the character within."  Hoseok propped his feet up on the arm of the throne. "You pass, you get the dagger."

     "Give me one reason I shouldn't just kill you for real this time." Seokjin growled, his teeth visible.

     "Yes, Onyx temper." Hoseok smiled, unfazed. "All the same really." He looked to Jungkook, "Except him, he confuses me."

     "Just give us the puzzles?" Taehyung asked, trying to convey the time sensitivity.

     "Well, first you need to decide which of you will be doing each puzzle." Hoseok chattered, "Three puzzles, three people. Rules are simple."

     "I think you would know the answer to that already." Seokjin stood in front of Hoseok. "So give me my test."

     "Ah yes, the physical one." Hoseok stood up. He waved his hand over the wall behind him and it crumbled into a magical floating, gold dust. A hole dissolved into an opening to reveal a large room below. A single golden orb floated about six feet off the ground in the middle, glistening in the spotlight of a single beam shining down. "Get me the orb."

     "That's it?" Seokjin didn't blink. 

     "Looks are deceiving," Hoseok plopped back down and leered at Jungkook. "Tread carefully."

     Seokjin took off his pack and set it on the ground. He cracked his neck and rotated his shoulders several times before walking over to the opening. The dust hardened into a set of steps that lead down to the room. He glanced at Jungkook, who met his eyes, Seokjin nodded at him and then climbed up into the opening, proceeding cautiously down the steps. Jungkook and Taehyung walked over to the side and peered in.

     At the bottom, the floor seemed to move as if it were made of water, Seokjin wobbled a bit as he tried to gain his footing, but his feet felt heavier the longer he stood there. He observed what was laid out before him, trying to concoct a plan - what would be the fastest way to the middle with the least amount of blood and pain? 

     "Be careful, Seokjin." Jungkook yelled down and Seokjin stopped for a second, taking in a deep breath.

     Ahead of him were several obstacles, they didn't look like they would be much of a problem, but Hoseok was a trickster, so he was sure there were some surprises in store. _Now or never!_  He took another deep breath, gathering up his nerve. Seokjin took two steps forward, an uneasy feeling took his stomach hostage - something was about to happen.

    Not so unexpectedly, the second he took the third step, a giant pendulum swung down from out of nowhere, cutting the air in front of him with a swift swoosh. He jumped to the side to avoid being cut in half and lost his balance, but he skillfully rolled to land back on his feet, dodging the pendulum as it swung back a second time. Jungkook gasped.

     Hoseok stepped to the window, "Got the last guy within 5 seconds." He laughed.

     "Last guy?" Jungkook asked.

     "Not twenty minutes before you arrived." Hoseok grinned bitterly, "He didn't taste very good though, the pendulum took the best part..the brains."

     Jungkook was grossed out. "You ate him?"

     "You cannot remain hidden if everyone knows your hiding place." Hoseok sniffed the air, "I hope I get the chance to taste what this one is made of."

     Jungkook grabbed Hoseok by the shirt and pinned him against the wall. "You're not touching him." Jungkook's eyes flashed yellow.

     Hoseok maneuvered his shirt from Jungkook's grip and backed up. "You should worry about your own test, young hybrid." He sneered, adjusting his gaze back onto Seokjin below.

     Seokjin dodged several more swinging pendulums before he came to a moat, seemingly with no bottom as it was black as death. _What the fuck is this?_ He watched as a set of stepping stones floated to the surface, one by one, six in a row.

     "This is madness," Seokjin muttered to himself.

     "Tick-tock" Hoseok called out, his tone was pure elation. He was getting some sick enjoyment out of all this.

     On the other side, the fog that had been hiding the grand finale began to clear and there standing before him, was a snarling four-legged beast staring him down. Its razor-sharp teeth waiting to tear into his flesh. Seokjin pulled the daggers from his arm holsters, grasping them in his hands as if his life depended on it. He jumped to the first stone and it wobbled slightly as he landed on it, _One down_. He eyed the second one and jumped, it was slightly further away than the first, and he could see the third one was even further away than the second. He looked up at them all watching him from the opening, he could see Jungkook's eyes glowing the familiar blue color.

     He cracked his neck and looked back down at the third stone, he took a leap and landed on it, the impact made it slide sideways causing him to land hard, on his knees.

     "That step is a doozy." Hoseok cackled from above.

     "You call this hard?" Seokjin laughed and stood back up, wincing at the throbbing in his left knee, mentally shaking it off. He would not give Hoseok the pleasure of seeing him weak. The fourth stone began moving side to side when he had landed on number three, he counted the seconds until it was within jumping distance twice and on the third count, he jumped. The rock stopped moving once he landed on it, he swayed a bit, dizzy.

     "Just wait, I will taste your blood before the end," Hoseok called down, his smile quite foul.

     The fifth stone was several feet away, nothing about it seemed out of place, Seokjin figured this one would be the most tricky since it was the least wicked looking. He took a step back, then vaulted forward, his foot touching the stone for two seconds before skipping over it and landing on the sixth one, he glanced back to see stone five sink below the water's surface and disappear. He barely had time to collect himself, something grabbed his ankle and began to pull him towards the water. He screamed out as it tightened it's grip, shredding his pant leg and stinging his skin with the suctions of its tentacle. His attempts to shake it loose were futile, the thing was too strong. He witnessed several more slimy, black tentacles pop out of the water and make their way towards his thigh, slinking up over the stone. He drew back his hand and sliced through the one attached to him with his dagger, careful not to cut himself in the process. It loosened its hold and began to slide back into the water, nearly dragging him along as he continued to hack away at it until it was just a jumble of severed flesh. A loud croaking noise echoed through the cavern as it retreated back into the water defeated. They all covered their ears, except for Hoseok, who just stood there grimacing.

     "Impressive, no one has ever made it past my pet." Hoseok sulked.

     Seokjin was just one step away from where the snarling beast was still staring him down, a mess of saliva and muck dripping from its pointed teeth. He looked it straight in the eyes, calculating what the beast might do when he was occupying the same space. He backed up and took a flying leap, flipping up and over and landing behind it. The beast whipped around in a fury of confusion, locking its sights on Seokjin's tasty neck. It lunged at him, snapping its jaws ferociously. Seokjin swung the daggers, but missed. For such a large creature, it was agile. The beast lashed it's tail in a rapid action and sliced Seokjin across the stomach. He grabbed at the wound, dropping the daggers, it burned his insides, the pain becoming so excruciating, he screamed out.  Jungkook attempted to step into the opening, but Hoseok held up his arm, blocking him from going any further.

     "You help and I kill him now."  Hoseok warned, "Let him fight."

     Seokjin closed his eyes and when he reopened them, they were pitch black. He stared the beast down, growling loudly. The beast swung his tail again, but Seokjin rolled out of the path, retrieving one of the daggers, and landed upright to the beast's side. He slashed the beast's underbelly with one quick swipe, it roared out in pain, shaking the cavern. Taehyung felt his face go pale as he stood there watching, helpless. He looked over at Jungkook desperately grasping the sides of the opening so hard, the rock was starting to crumble.

     Seokjin bared his fangs and the beast gnashed its teeth as if mocking him, a large pool of drool fell from its mouth and landed on the ground with a splat. The beast scratched its paw along the dirt as if powering up, its eyes latched on to the prize.

     "Come on, do it!" Seokjin roared.

     It lunged forward, charging Seokjin. He jumped out of the way, turning quickly and extending his daggered hand, he sliced the beast down the other side of its skin. Once more it roared out and the ground rumbled like an earthquake was opening up the earth below. It turned to bound again as Seokjin dove for his other dagger. It whipped its tail sharply, catching Seokjin's foot and causing him to land on his face. He rolled over on his back, spitting out a mouthful of blood, jerking his head up just in time as the beast leaped onto him, pinning him down with its razor-like claws. Seokjin grasped the side of its jaw between his hands. It lashed at his face, he had to turn his face to the side to avoid the attack.

     "Oh, pity. I thought for sure, this one would make it." Hoseok turned away and went to sit on his throne.

     The beast dug its claws further into Seokjin's shoulder, creating deep gashes as it attempted to break free. Seokjin felt fatigued all of a sudden, like his arms were paralyzed, his grip loosening on the beast's jaws. He closed his eyes, drifting into a stupor.

     "Seokjin!" Jungkook screamed out. 

     Seokjin snapped his attention to Jungkook standing at the opening. The younger's yell gave him a burst of adrenalin and Seokjin glared back at the beast, digging his clawed fingernails into its flesh; with an immense pressure, he pushed the top jaw up and the bottom jaw down, causing the beast's mouth to stretch so far it snapped, killing it instantly. Seokjin rolled to the side, out of the way, as the beast crashed down on the ground next to him.

     "Fuck you!" He muttered out as he rolled back over to his knees and slowly stood up, catching his breath. He strode over to the orb and snatched it from the holder.

     Jungkook and Taehyung high-fived, silently cheering.

     "I got your fucking orb." Seokjin yelled out, holding it up.

     Hoseok jumped up and peered down at him, smiling as Seokjin held up the orb. "Most unexpected turn of events." He waved his hand and the steps appeared next to Seokjin.

     Seokjin climbed back into the main room, holding his midsection. He threw the orb to Hoseok, who caught it and sat back down on his throne. Jungkook glomped onto Seokjin tight, causing him to cringe in pain. He didn't care though, he hugged Jungkook back just as hard. No words were spoken between them, but their body language said all they were thinking.

     "Holy shit," Jungkook gulped in some air, breathing it back out again as they locked eyes.

     Seokjin ruffled the younger's hair, "You saved me."

     "So what's my test?" Taehyung turned to Hoseok, giving them their moment.

     "We can start out small if you like?" Hoseok twirled the orb between his fingers.

     "Bring it on." Taehyung challenged.

     "As you wish," Hoseok waved his hand and a chair made of sand appeared in front of Taehyung. "Have a seat."

     Taehyung settled into the chair, nervous of what was to come. A pair of straps burst through and secured his arms and legs. Jungkook stepped forward, but Taehyung waved him off. "I'm fine." He adjusted his body to make himself more comfortable, clearing his throat. "I'm good."

     "How about a riddle?" Hoseok smirked and leaned in, face to face with Taehyung, prompting a head nod from him. "What turns everything around without moving?"

     "A mirror." Taehyung answered.

     "What goes up, but never comes down?"

      "Age." Taehyung seemed bored.

     "If you have me, you want to share me, but if you share me, I no longer exist?"

     "A secret." Taehyung shook his head. "Can we skip to the hard stuff?"

     Hoseok nodded, a giant grin penetrated his face. He threw twenty more riddles at Taehyung, who answered them all without fail. Hoseok was getting rather annoyed, he expected he would have his next meal by now. "You're smart, I give you that."

     Taehyung shrugged, agreeing.

     "Shall we play a memory game then?" Hoseok stood, he waved his hand and several spheres appeared above Taehyung's head, flashing different colors. Taehyung beamed, he was always exceptional in memory games.

     "Did I mention we were in a hurry?" Taehyung sighed, "Skip to the hardest."

     "So be it." Hoseok looked at the spheres. A series of thirty colors flashed and Jungkook and Seokjin looked at each other, there was no way Taehyung could remember all that. Hoseok was confident that this kid would taste yummy. 

     "Green, green, yellow, red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple-" He went on until he came to the last color, when he paused for effect, looking to each of them, the anticipation grew on their faces. "...Blue."

     Hoseok was livid as Seokjin and Jungkook breathed sighs of relief. "There is no way you can pass that!" The spheres fell to the ground and broke. The straps disintegrated and the sand chair disappeared, Taehyung fell on his ass with a resounding hmpff.

     "Sore loser?" Taehyung grasped Seokjin's extended hand and was pulled up to stand. He rubbed his bottom, cursing the witch under his breath.

     Hoseok turned to Jungkook, without warning everything went dark. Jungkook stared straight ahead, as if in a trance. To Seokjin, Hoseok, and Taehyung, everything was normal, but to Jungkook - he was alone, in his own head.

     ___________________________________

     "Seokjin?" He cried out, but no answer. "Taehyung?" He spun around, but there was nothing to be seen except a barren, dark room.

     "Jungkook." A voice called out and Jungkook turned around, his mouth dropped open. Standing there was a translucent version of his Father, an apparition floating before him.

     "Dad?" Jungkook was shocked. Was this a delusion?

     "You have grown so much." He stepped closer, but Jungkook backed up, shaking his head. He wanted nothing to do with this thing standing before him. "You do not need to fear me."

     "W-What are you?" Jungkook stuttered. 

     "I am your Father, Jungkook. Don't you recognize me?"

     "No." Jungkook shook his head and closed his eyes, his father was dead, this was a trick. This wasn't real. When he opened them again, Seokjin was standing there, staring back at him with a contemptuous smirk. "Seokjin?"

     "Are you okay?" Seokjin took a few steps closer and looked down at him, Jungkook realized he was laying on the floor now.

     "What happened?" Jungkook tried to stand, but a force kept him there on the ground. "I can't move."

     ___________________________________

     Taehyung watched as Jungkook laid down on the ground, staring up at the ceiling.

     "What are you doing to him?" Seokjin demanded.

     "Testing his abilities." Hoseok put his foot on Jungkook's chest and pressed down. Seokjin lunged forward, but Taehyung held him back.

     "Let me go-" Seokjin yelled, trying to break free.

     "Let him finish the test," Taehyung assured him, trying his hardest to restrain Seokjin, "He'll kill him if you don't."

     Seokjin reluctantly backed up, glaring at Hoseok's foot on Jungkook's chest. He began to pace the floors, not taking his eyes off them, his jaw clenched, ready to pounce if he needed.

       ___________________________________

     Jungkook struggled as Seokjin pushed his foot onto Jungkook's chest. "What are you doing? Stop." He yelled out, but Seokjin did not stop.

     "Does it hurt Jungkook?" Seokjin sneered, "You're a worthless piece of trash."

     "Fuck you." It was hard for him to breath with the pressure...and why couldn't he move?

     "Then remove my foot." Seokjin hissed louder. "You can't, because you're useless, just like your parents."

     "Stop..please." Jungkook yelled out.

     Seokjin pulled a pistol from his jacket and held it out to Jungkook. "Kill yourself, Jungkook."

     Jungkook looked at the gun, shocked. "What?" He yelled up at the elder, "No." Why was Seokjin doing this?

     Seokjin bent down, this time his whole shin was resting on Jungkook's chest, pressing down. He continued to hold the gun out. "You know I lied to you. I don't really love you." Seokjin smiled, he traced Jungkook's face with the butt of the gun, then drew it back and smashed him across the face, laughing maniacally as a stream of blood ran down the younger's chin.

     "I don't believe you." Jungkook wiped his mouth, so much blood.

     "You're so easy to fool though." Seokjin tilted his head to look at Jungkook's lips, he ran his finger over them, then licked the blood from his finger. "So naive."

     "Get off of me." Jungkook spat, trying to squirm out from under Seokjin's weight.

     Seokjin held out the gun again. "The only way I am going to move is if you shoot me..or yourself."

     "I won't kill you." Jungkook grabbed the gun and threw it across the room. He looked over at it as it slid to a stop. No, this wasn't right. "Where the hell did you get a gun?"

     "After we found the dagger, I was going to kill you. I couldn't do it around Namjoon or Noni, they're too protective." Seokjin stood.

     "You're not Seokjin, you're lying." Jungkook sat up, rubbing the spot on his chest where Seokjin's foot had been resting.

     "You once told me how you used to have nightmares about Jacker dragging your parents screaming from the car." Seokjin leaned against the wall, pleased with himself. "So pathetic."

     "No." He shook his head, "I don't believe you."

     "How about at Abram's, when we were alone..how I pinned you down-"

     "Why are you doing this?" Jungkook screamed out, but Seokjin only smiled wider.

     ___________________________________

     Jungkook screamed. Seokjin pulled Hoseok off of him, slammed him into the cave wall and slid the dagger up against his throat. "Let him go." He barked.

     "He has to let himself go." Hoseok whined, eyeing the blade. "You kill me and he'll be stuck there forever."

     Taehyung pulled Seokjin back, "You're gonna get him killed."

     Hoseok straightened his crown, retreating back a healthy distance from the pissed off hybrid.

     Seokjin returned the dagger to his holster and punched the wall, he screamed out frustrated. He hated what Hoseok was doing to Jungkook, he swore he would kill him for this.

     ___________________________________

     Seokjin picked up the gun and offered it to Jungkook once again. "No one wants you Jungkook, no one cares if you're dead or alive. So do us all a favor."

     Jungkook stared at the gun a few moments and then reached his hand out, slowly grasping the grip panel. He stood up and faced Seokjin. "But you're bonded to me..."

     "I'm bonded to Yoongi, you idiot." He laughed. "Why do you think we really went to see him?"

     "Y-Yoongi? No." Jungkook objected, there was a sudden chill in the air. Jungkook shivered. 

     "Well did we find anything useful when we went there? Stuff I didn't already know? Think." Seokjin tapped Jungkook on his forehead and then pushed him back.

     "Why? It makes no sense." Jungkook shook his head violently. "Why would you do that?"

     "I was stuck with you Jungkook, Namjoon just thrust you on me, I didn't want you around." Seokjin sneered. "You've been a huge pain in the ass since you came to the pack."

     "Why not just kill me then?" Jungkook teared up. This was too much.

     "Your father killed a lot of my friends. I am sure he is turning in his grave seeing what's become of you." He laughed. "Sleeping with the enemy. Falling in love. Following me around like a wretched little puppy." He pushed Jungkook against the wall and held him there, grabbing the younger's hand and guiding the gun up to his temple. He backed up to gawk at him. "You weren't meant to live that night, but Namjoon fucked up. He changed his mind and let you live."

     "No...that's not true." Jungkook slid down the wall, every ounce of him felt drained. This couldn't be real, he knew that in his heart.

     "Just die, I don't want you around." Seokjin turned his back. "I don't want you, period."

     The gunshot rung out and Seokjin quickly turned around, the smoking gun still aimed at him. Jungkook threw the gun down at his feet as Seokjin fell to his knees, still staring at Jungkook, in shock. "You're not Seokjin." Jungkook spat at him. "Fuck you!"

     ___________________________________

     The room came back into focus, Jungkook blinked several times wondering if he was still in a dream, Seokjin knelt down to Jungkook, studying the younger to make sure he was okay, before offering his hand, "Welcome back-"

     "You passed." Hoseok smiled. "Congratul-" Before he could finish, Jungkook had decked him. Hoseok flew back, landing hard in his throne, his glasses flew across the room. He looked up at Jungkook, grabbing the fresh bruise that blemished his chin.

     "You ever do that again, I will kill you." Jungkook started for him, but Seokjin held him back. His jaw was clenched in anger, his heart beating so fast. Jungkook looked at Seokjin.

     "Calm down." Seokjin spoke softly, Jungkook nodded and looked at the ground, trying to compose himself. Seokjin kissed Jungkook's forehead and then turned to Hoseok. "We passed your tests."

     "Pity, I was hoping for some nice fresh meat to hold me over." Hoseok waved his hand and the dagger appeared in front of Jungkook's face, floating in mid-air.   "Keep it safe."

     Jungkook snatched the dagger and clipped it to his belt.

     "I suggest you relocate, Jacker's men are coming and I don't think they would be very happy if they got here and you don't have the dagger." Seokjin recommended.

 

     They made it back to the cave opening in record time, it was much easier to navigate out than it had been to go in. The sunlight hit their eyes as they exited the caves, blinding them all for a moment. Seokjin shielded his eyes, perusing the perimeter to make sure nothing was waiting to ambush them.

     "Thank you glorious sunlight!" Taehyung proclaimed as he threw up his hands in the air and spun in circles, like he was worshipping to the sun god himself.

     Jungkook's bad vibe came rushing back, he couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. He figured he was overreacting because Taehyung and Seokjin would have picked up a scent. He shook it off as just nerves. Instead, he concentrated on the funk that was permeating off of him, "I need a hot shower and some corndogs."

 

     Their trek back to the car was fast, without any problems other than an untied shoelace. Jungkook watched Seokjin climb on the motorcycle and start it up, relieved they all made it out unscathed. "See ya back at the castle." He nodded to Seokjin as the elder slipped on his helmet. Seokjin gave him a thumbs up and revved the engine, ready to go.

     Taehyung started the car, reversing out of the parking spot and stopping beside Jungkook so that he could climb in. He glanced at his phone. "Ooh signal."

     Jungkook looked out the back window as Taehyung pulled out onto the highway, making sure Seokjin was right behind them. He breathed a sigh of relief as he turned back around.  _We did it!_

     

     Several miles up the road, Jungkook pulled out the dagger and inspected it. He unsheathed it, admiring its beauty - the handle was pure ivory, stained a yellowish hue from age, with an antiqued opal resting in the pommel. The blade was made of pure steel, glimmering a slight tinted red in the sunlight, it was quite sharp, he nearly filleted himself as he twirled it around. He didn't see why or how this would kill a demon wolf versus any other dagger, but he guessed it was all in the blade, the red tinge of the blade. He resheathed it and stuck it on the seat next to him, looking in the rearview mirror at Seokjin following them.

     "Well, part one down..now the hard part." Jungkook sighed, looking over at Taehyung. "Killing Jacker."

     "If anyone can do it, Seokjin can. Have faith." Taehyung patted the younger on the shoulder.

     "I know he can." Jungkook smiled. He looked back in the rearview mirror, his eyes widened as he saw another motorcycle coming up fast behind him. Seokjin saw it too, just as it ran him off the road, they collided, disappearing into the bushes. "Stop the car." Jungkook yelled out in a panic. "STOP THE CAR!"

     Taehyung screeched to a halt, the younger was already out the door before he could put it in park. Jungkook had the dagger ready, sprinting along the side of the road, back towards the bushes. Smoke was rising up, a grey stream billowing up through the treeline, something was on fire. He saw a pair of feet sticking out of the brush, it was Seokjin's shoes. Seokjin was sprawled out on the ground, unconscious. Several feet away, his bike was in flames.

     "Seokjin!" Jungkook bent down to shake him, a noise sounded behind him and he turned and stood up to look around, dagger prepped to attack. Seokjin coughed and turned over.

     "Watch out." He gurgled out as someone tackled Jungkook to the ground and then sprinted off again. Seokjin wearily stood up, trying to make it over to the younger, but Jacker stepped out of the bush next to him, grabbed him by the back of his neck and squeezed, halting him in his tracks, Seokjin was in a daze, he didn't have time to react. Jungkook looked up as Jacker snapped Seokjin's neck, the elder gasped and then went limp.

     "NO!" Jungkook sprang to his feet, he lunged towards Jacker brandishing the dagger in his hands, Jacker tripped him and he slid across the gravel, the dagger flew from his grip, landing under the brush several feet away. Jacker threw Seokjin's body to the ground and bent down to Jungkook, staring into his eyes as the younger looked up.

     "Grab him." Jacker motioned to two guys who stepped behind him. Jungkook tried to scurry out of the way, but something hard hit him on the head, causing everything to go black as he fell to the earth. Jacker bent down and grabbed the dagger, as Taehyung came running over, skidding to a halt. He threw the dagger into the ground below Taehyung's feet and smiled, an evil little scowl. "I dare him to come find me when he wakes up."

     Taehyung was outnumbered, there was nothing he could do, his only option was to watch as Jacker lifted Jungkook's body up over his shoulder and walked off, followed by his five henchmen.  Taehyung bent down to Seokjin, feeling for a pulse, relieved when he found one.

     "Shit. Shit..shit shit." He lifted Seokjin up, balancing him over his shoulder as he reached for the dagger. He hurried back to the car, carefully placing him in the back seat, careful not to bump his head on the door frame. He threw open the driver's side door and clambered into the seat, jamming his foot on the accelerator as he closed the door, skidding up onto the road. He peeled out as the car swerved to catch traction and sped off towards home.

     

* * *

Always - thank you for reading, your time and comments mean so much to me <3


	17. Careful Plans

     

    Seokjin cried only one time in his life - when he woke up to see Taehyung sitting in the lab next to him with a somber look on his face and being told that Jacker had taken Jungkook. He trashed the room, then sat down and cried. He didn't even know he was capable of such a thing, crying - what a tragic waste of time. He should be out there hunting Jacker down, but he was stuck here, at the castle, pacing the floors and hoping for a clue to tell them all where Jacker had taken Jungkook.

     "We'll get him back!" Taehyung had told him. That was one thing he was certain of, he just shuddered to think what Jacker was doing to him. If he harmed one hair on Jungkook's head, he swore he was going to ram that dagger so far up Jacker's ass that he'd burst through the top of his head and rain brains all over all his enemies.

     Taehyung and Namjoon were working on tracking Jacker's men to his 'hideout', but it seemed like they all had gone underground and would not surface until they needed to. It had already been two weeks and no spottings. Seokjin was at his wit's end, he was not a patient person. 

     

     Taehyung and Jimin were camped out in the library, Taehyung was thumbing through books on demon wolves, brushing up on everything from their habits to theories on demon possessions..anything to try to figure out what the hell he was up to. Jimin was just scrolling through his phone and texting his girlfriend, the concentration 'faces' he kept making gave Taehyung the impression that they were having a serious conversation.

     "Everything okay?" Taehyung switched to a book on wolf anatomy. 

     "Aren't you worried the prophecy could be true, that Seokjin or someone like him could wipe out the werewolf population?" Jimin asked, looking up from his phone.

     "It makes no sense for a hybrid to do it, he's half werewolf," Taehyung pointed out. "That would be counterproductive." 

     "Meredith thinks just because Jacker is bad, that we shouldn't dismiss his beliefs, he might not be too far off." Jimin set his phone down on the table.

     "That's absurd." Taehyung shook his head, "That girl is warping your brain."

     "She thinks that the best way to take someone out is to get close to them," Jimin stated, "I'm just saying we don't really know Seokjin that well."

     "Why do you listen to her," Taehyung was already annoyed, he felt Jimin spent way too much time with her, "She has no clue about werewolf or onyx history."

     "She's a vampire, they know things." Jimin stood up and grabbed a book on ancient lore.

     "She's a pompous, self-centered, know it all-"

     "She's part of the Vampire Elitists." Jimin corrected him. "It's their job to study motives."

     "That explains it." Taehyung looked up over his book. "Who do you trust, me or her?"

     "Both of you."  Jimin sat back down. "She has points."

     "Seokjin is an ass, I give you that, but I trust him two hundred percent." Taehyung was serious.

     "I'm glad to know." Seokjin peeked out from behind a bookshelf. Jimin jumped, Taehyung accidentally threw his book.

     "You scared the shit out of me-" Jimin whined, patting his chest like he was trying to restart his heart.

     "Warning next time, yeah?" Taehyung smirked.

     "Sorry." Seokjin bent down to retrieve the book and handed it back to Taehyung.

     "How are you holding up?"

     "I'm going out of my mind." Seokjin sat on the edge of the table, "I feel like just sitting here is wasting time."

     "If he wanted to kill him, he would have done it a while ago," Jimin assured him.

     "Torture isn't death, is it?" Seokjin informed him. "You think he brought him there for a playdate?"

     Jimin rolled his eyes at Taehyung, suggesting that he was right about Seokjin being an asshole, then went back to his book, determined to not say anything else.

     "Namjoon brought Yoongi back this morning while you were out." Taehyung mentioned.

     "Yeah, I just saw him." Seokjin sighed.

     "They're excellent trackers, vampires." Jimin chimed in.

     Seokjin glared at him, there was something about Jimin he didn't like, and not just at this particular moment, overall he got bad vibes from him. If Jimin and his little vampire lover were doubting him and Jungkook, or if he believed that Seokjin was capable of wiping out his own pack, then Jimin was not his friend. He felt his face go warm at the notion.

     "Woah, you okay?" Taehyung noticed Seokjin's eyes were black.

     Seokjin stood, "I gotta go." He announced and then within seconds he bolted from the room.

     "Weirdo." Jimin closed the book and threw it aside.

     "Hope he'll be okay." Taehyung was worried.

     "Are we almost done here? I have to meet Meredith in a half hour." Jimin yawned, checking his watch. "I'd like to get a shower." 

     Taehyung glanced at him, "Yeah, I got this..go."

     Jimin held out his fist as he stood, beckoning a bro bump, then was out the door faster than Taehyung could blink. Taehyung stared at the door, deep in thought. _Meredith sure does have a big opinion on our pack business, not to mention the history of the onyx... and Seokjin._ He reached over and pulled out his brother's laptop from the open bookbag he'd left behind. He typed Meredith's name in the archive's database, prompted to enter a password before he could proceed. The archives were only supposed to be viewed by his father and pack leaders, but his father was terrible with passwords and often Taehyung or Jimin had to reset it, always memorizing what the new words were, and always peeking into business they were supposed to keep their noses out of.  A detailed list about her family came up on the screen, it was rather long - and usually, the thick files meant unfavorable things. His stomach felt queasy all of a sudden, he had an inkling that maybe Meredith wasn't so trustable. Prickly little goosebumps popped up on his arm like a biological alarm and he wiped them away, staring at the screen. _No way._  What if Meredith was the leak? What is she was the traitor? Technically she wasn't part of the pack, but if Jimin had inadvertently told her information, she could very well have told her people, maybe even Jacker or one of his men. He ruminated on that theory for a moment, bumping the palm of his hand on the tabletop, like a nervous tick.

      "Shit." He breathed in, feeling even sicker now. He needed to have proof, he couldn't go off on a just a suspicion. He typed Vampire Elitist into the search bar, time to do some homework.

   

    Jungkook was slumped over on the cold floor, shivering. Under his hairline, there was a fresh gash and a small pool of blood was drying on the gray stone below him. He didn't know what time of the day it was or how many days he had been there, all he could concentrate on was trying to warm his body up, so he curled up into a ball, wrapping his arms around his legs and tucking them into his chest. He felt weak, but his mind kept wandering to Seokjin, the only thing that was keeping him going at this point. He had no doubt Seokjin was trying to figure out a way to get to him and he knew this would end with Jacker dead. He could handle anything Jacker did to him, just as long as he held on to the thought that Seokjin would find him.

     "Oh young one..." A voice called through the door and Jungkook shifted, alarmed. He couldn't handle another 'talking' session from Jacker, he was too weak. _Not now._

     "No more." He whispered and an ominous laugh sounded on the other side of the door.

     The door swung open and a lanky, dark-haired man walked in, his hair was slicked back off his face and he wore a smirk that was somewhere between evil and bored. He slipped on a pair of leather gloves that were missing the finger holes, Jungkook was convinced that he didn't purchase them this way, not with the claws that he sported, claws that were perfectly manicured into precision weapons. He slammed his fists together and bent down, jerking Jungkook's head up by his hair, to meet his eyes... It was Jacker's best torture master, Tao, aka the bane of Jungkook's existence.

     "You don't want to play anymore?" Tao taunted.

     "Leave me alone." Jungkook squeaked as he tried to sit upright.

     Tao pushed him back down with his foot and Jungkook rolled onto his back, exhaling. "Is that any way to show your gratitude for my hospitality?"

     Jungkook scoffed and it angered Tao, he bent down over Jungkook's face, a huge scowl upon his mouth. "You can't kill me, not yet." Jungkook spat.

     "I can do anything I want to, you little shit." Tao pulled Jungkook up by his arm and hoisted him over his shoulder. Jungkook didn't have the strength to fight back, between being cold and hurt, he had nothing left.

 

     Tao threw Jungkook down at Jacker's feet, the loud thump made his head pound, but he managed to muster up a bit of strength to sit up, leaning his back against the couch for support.

     "You're not looking so well, you going to be able to hang in there, precious?" Jacker bent down, eye to eye with the younger, he smiled. "You are a tough one, I give you that, most young ones don't withstand this level of torture."

     "I hope Seokjin rams the dagger straight up your ass-" Jungkook hissed and Jacker laughed so loud, it sent a chill through Jungkook's spine.

     "Seokjin can't beat me." Jacker stood back up and sat on the couch opposite of Jungkook. "He will try, but you have to know he can't win."

     "Bullshit." Jungkook croaked.

     "If I believed him to be a threat, do you think I would have left the dagger with him?" Jacker laughed again. "You have too much faith in him."

     "Being delusional doesn't make you stronger." Jungkook let out a small laugh and Jacker stood and slapped him across the face so hard, he spit out blood all over the suede fabric of the couch.

     "Seokjin is weak, his species is weak." Jacker was offended. "You could have joined us if you weren't such a simple-minded suck-up.."

     "I would never join you." Jungkook wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, glaring at Jacker.

     "Oh, but wouldn't you." Jacker's grin was distorting his face and Jungkook looked away, he didn't even want to waste his time talking to this maniac.

     "I'd rather die than be a part of this." Jungkook's conviction was strong. Jacker's secret was stronger.

     Jacker nodded to Tao and Tao practically skipped from the room. "Namjoon's one mistake is he took in all the outcasts and lone creatures, the omegas, anyone who didn't have a home or pack to call their own. He took in the weak."

     "And yet you're still scared of him." Jungkook looked Jacker in the eyes, eyebrow raised.  "Who is the weak one?"

     Jacker became irritated, his teeth protruding over his lips, he paced the floors to stop himself from killing the younger. Jungkook knew he hit a chord, he grinned. Watching Jacker clench and unclench his fists was pure satisfaction.

     "Can't deny that?" Jungkook knew he should stop, but taunting Jacker's weakness gave him a sudden burst of strength.

     "You don't know anything." Jacker's face was a shade of red that resembled cranberry juice. "Namjoon took a great pack and he destroyed it, that pack should have been mine." He bent down to Jungkook. "That pack was destined for greatness."

     "That pack is the one thing you can never be a part of, they will always be better than you, and you can't stand that." Jungkook leaned up into Jacker's face.

     "Just because I can't kill you, doesn't mean I won't hurt you, you best watch your tongue." Jacker stood, at first not facing the younger, then suddenly in one quick motion he drew back his hand and slashed Jungkook's face leaving a large set of claw prints across his cheek. Jungkook scrunched up his face, stifling his scream, he was not about to give Jacker the satisfaction of hearing his cries of agony. Jacker lowered himself to try to peer into his eyes, to enjoy the show.

     "I know it hurts," Jacker licked his lips, pressing his finger to the wound, "You can scream now."

     Jungkook's scream echoed through the hallways of Jacker's estate like a neverending loop of a scream track at a Halloween horror house, it was followed by the cackling of a deranged madman having a little too much fun. The contradicting sounds were a mixture of pain and pleasure.

 

     The door swung open and Tao paraded in escorting an older woman, his clawed hand gripping her shoulder; the indents in her skin showing that his hold was tight..and hard. She had her head lowered, her long, graying black hair was covering her face, swaying back and forth as she shuffled along. Jungkook noticed her hands and feet were shackled, making it hard for her to walk. Jacker stood back up, gleaming. His brilliant plan was finally coming to fruition.

     "Our guest of honor has arrived." Jacker walked over to the woman and grabbed her by the back of the neck, she winced as he dragged her over and pushed her hard, to sit on the couch. Jungkook sensed something familiar about her, her scent - but he couldn't place it. Jacker moved her hair from her face and she looked down at Jungkook, tears welling up in her eyes. "Nari, aren't you going to greet your son?" He smiled and looked at Jungkook.

    _Nari? Son?_ Jungkook's eyes were almost open as wide as his mouth, all the color drained from his face as he realized this battered woman sitting before him was his mother...she was alive. _How?_ He felt like he had just been hit by a truck, a really large truck going really, really fast. How could she be sitting here? Had Jacker had her this whole time?

     "Speechless, I suspected as much." Jacker laughed. "Genius plan I know."

     "H-how?" Was all Jungkook could muster. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, this had to be a hallucination..from all the head trauma Tao had inflicted upon him.

     "Did you actually see your parent's die?" Jacker ridiculed, "Did they ever find any bodies?" 

     "Where's my dad?" Jungkook was sure he already knew the answer, there would be no point in keeping them both alive. Nari was a part of their world, his Dad on the other hand, was a hunter hated by so many...

     "Oh, he's dead now, the torture was too much for him to bear, he didn't last a week." Jacker boasted. Jungkook sneered at him. "Oh don't be such a baby, Jungkook. You don't know the whole story."

     "I know what you did." Jungkook turned away, he knew Jacker kept his mother alive so that he could have a reason for Jungkook to be on his side, but he would not cave in.

     "Wolfsbane laced shackles." Jacker pointed out and Jungkook looked up at him confused. "It's all it takes to stop an Onyx from changing, such a pity something so simple can be so catastrophic to a species. This is why Seokjin is weak."

     "Seokjin is not weak." Jungkook spoke up, seething.

     Nari turned her head to study her son's expression, she understood instantly that her son had bonded. It was like a light came on inside her, he returned her stare and she gave him a slight smile.

     "Oh, he has his strong points, he is the grandson of a demigod after all." Jacker sighed, Jungkook glared at him. "But his father had other plans for him. Selfish old prick nearly cost him his life." Jacker snickered to himself like he was reciting some kind of inside joke, "I did underestimate how many people were looking after him though, I did believe he had died in that fire and he would have if it had not been for your father and Namjoon." Jacker stood and walked to the window. "Yes, sometimes I do make mistakes."

     Nari continued to stare at her son, he wasn't that same eight-year-old in the backseat of their car on that fateful night. She had wondered about him all these years, worried that somehow Jacker would get to him. She agonized at the events that took place Jungkook's whole life, knowing that she never prepared him for what was to come. She hoped that Namjoon would treat him like a son and never let him want for anything, she at least knew that Namjoon had taken him in because Jacker had taken it out on her for the mess up that night. No, this wasn't the naive child she left behind, this...man... that she saw before her was strong, but he had some sort of innocence about him at the same time. She could also feel how in love her son was with Seokjin. She knew Seokjin's family, she had even met Seokjin on a few occasions and always noted how tough he was, how he stood up to his older brother Eric and somehow always coming out the victor. Seokjin was a good suitor. 

     "Take her away." Jacker motioned to Tao and Tao grabbed her by the arm pulling her up, Jungkook sat there motionless for a moment, watching as this bully manhandled his mother, he was overcome by a sudden rage. He didn't know where the energy came from, but somehow all in an instant, he rose to his feet and lunged at Tao, pinning him against the wall, baring his teeth like he was about to have a meal. Nari backed up, she couldn't allow this, not now.

     "Jungkook, don't. Save your energy." Nari spoke, her voice penetrated his ears and he turned to her. She smiled and he felt the warmth emanating from her, it wrapped him in a blanket of motherly love. "He needs you!" ran through his mind like she was sending him a telepathic message.

     The moment was interrupted by Jungkook's face being shoved to the floor and a knee on his back. He didn't care, somehow from that small interaction - he understood that his Mother was telling him that Seokjin would need him soon and to pick his battles wisely. He watched Tao lead her out of the room and slam the door behind himself. Jacker grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him up, he pushed him against the wall, his breath inches from his face.  _Listen to his heartbeat Jungkook, he's scared. Concentrate on what his face is telling you, he's worried._

     "Will you watch your mother die to save your lover?" Jacker seemed satisfied, as though he already won the battle.

     Jungkook didn't say anything, he just stared at Jacker, hatred etched on his face. He resisted the urge to respond, he would not give anything away. This seemed to anger Jacker even more. He balled up his fist and nailed Jungkook in the stomach. Jungkook gasped and fell to his knees, grabbing his stomach with one arm and steadying himself with the other. "Fuck you." He coughed and leered at Jacker.

     "Deep down, we both know in the end who you will choose." Jacker sneered.

     "I won't have to," Jungkook clenched his teeth, "Seokjin will come for me and he'll destroy you."

     Jungkook felt the hard blow on his head and his eyes rolled up into his skull, then his body hitting the floor, but he couldn't move or open his eyes. He was out cold. The maniacal laughing as Jacker walked out of the room and the slam of the door rung in his ears long after Jacker left. _If Seokjin doesn't kill you, then I will._

 

* * *

A bit of a short chapter, hope you all like it. Thanks so much for reading (and commenting - it means a lot!)


	18. Taehyung's Discovery

  

     

     It was nearing three in the morning when Taehyung looked at his watch, he yawned and closed his laptop. He needed to speak to Namjoon about some stuff he discovered, but he didn't think their leader would appreciate being woke up in the middle of the night, so he decided to stay up for three more hours to make sure he was awake when Namjoon got up. He grabbed the laptop and headed out of the library, deciding to kill time with a walk around the castle. In the distance, he could hear the faint thumps of a punching bag being abused. He approached the exercise room, cautiously opening the door and peeking in, he noticed Seokjin was beating up the bag pretty hard, almost in a mindless stupor, sweat running down his shirtless body. It was obvious he had been here awhile.

     "Hey." He called out and Seokjin stopped for a moment to look at him.

     "What?" Seokjin continued on the bag, as Taehyung went over to stand next to him.

     "I found some shit out and I'm kind of freaking a little-"

     "Jungkook?" Seokjin stopped and turned to him, a sort of desperation brimmed up on his face.

     Taehyung sighed, "No." He watched as Seokjin sulked over to grab a towel and his water. "Jimin's girlfriend Meredith-"

     "The fearless vampire tracker?" Seokjin rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his water.

     "I don't think their allies." Taehyung hated admitting that his brother could be mixed up in something dangerous.

     "You think Jimin is the leak?" Seokjin perked up, looking like he might burst into an angry episode if Taehyung worded this wrong.

     "I don't think he meant to, but if he told Meredith some shit, I don't know." Taehyung set the laptop down on the bench. "He wouldn't purposely give away information-"

     "He has access to all the records." Seokjin stated the obvious, "I swear to all that is good Taehyung, if Jimin is the leak-"

     "Don't do anything stupid." Taehyung interrupted. "He's a bit naive when it comes to that girl, he doesn't realize what she's about."

     "Then maybe you need to educate him...before  I do." Seokjin slammed his fist into the bag so hard that it burst, spewing stuffing all over the floor. He left the room, leaving Taehyung alone with the innards of the bag surrounding him. _Maybe Seokjin wasn't the best person to confide in._

 

     Taehyung knew the best way to find anything out was to confirm it himself, so he followed Jimin to Meredith's house later that day. He wasn't sure what he was going to do once he was there, but maybe if he could hear their conversations or something, he could get a handle on what Jimin was up to. The talk with Namjoon that morning left him feeling like they all thought Jimin was in on it, and Taehyung knew his brother, he wouldn't turn on his pack. He wasn't waiting long when he saw a car pull up and two men get out, he recognized the taller one as part of Jacker's crew, he felt his stomach drop.  _Please let this be a hit, Jimin will be surprised, he won't know this guy. He's just here to try to kill them all and Jimin is going to kick his ass. Yeah._ Taehyung kept thinking it over and over while he snuck closer, camouflaged by the shrubs surrounding the house, he peered in a few windows but he couldn't see a damn thing.

     "Where are you, Jimin?" He murmured to himself. _Ugh_. He certainly did not expect to spend his day crouching in Meredith's bushes, peeping through her windows to find out what the hell his brother was getting himself mixed up in. Not that he could actually see...anything. He crept around the house to try the back gate, but it was locked. "Shit."

     Five minutes later, Meredith and Jimin came sauntering out of the house, followed by the two men who were now carrying briefcases. Taehyung stashed himself into the bushes in the neighbor's yard to avoid being caught. He watched as they all climbed into the car together. _No, Jimin, what are you doing?_ Taehyung knew he had to follow, if these men were on the way to see Jacker, then maybe he could rescue Jungkook. He had to be careful, Jimin knew what his car looked like and if he tipped them off, he was dead.

 

     They pulled into an empty lot that led to a series of run-down factories, at least five desolate buildings stood side by side, all long abandoned by the companies that built them. Taehyung noticed that there were armed guards patrolling on the roof of the middle building, five men were visible, he had no clue how many others could be hiding. This had to be Jacker's hideout or one of his places of operation, and since it was guarded, he figured there was a good chance that Jungkook was inside. Taehyung drove past and parked down another road, he needed to get a closer look and somehow not be spotted.

     He entered a rather ragged hotel that sat diagonally across the street, the clerk wasn't behind the desk, so he just slipped upstairs, listened against a few doors to find an empty room and picked the lock. Once inside, he went to the window where he had a clear view of the middle building and the car they had arrived in. The curtains were practically falling off the rod, infested with holes from various sized insects, that by no coincidence lined the sill with their rotting carcasses. They reeked of urine and he had to wonder why people would be pissing on curtains, but people had weird fetishes, and he knew they didn't come to this place for the accommodations. He grabbed the hem of the fabric and carefully drew them back to have a better view, cringing at how greasy they felt.

     He noticed Jimin and Meredith were leaning against the car, smoking.  _Since when do you smoke?_  Taehyung shook his head, there were some things about Jimin he seemed to be out of touch with. He took out his phone and snapped off a few pictures as two different men approached them, Jimin flicked his cigarette down and stepped on it, then turned to the men and did a 'bro' shake.

     "No Jimin, what are you doing?" Taehyung shuddered. There was no way he didn't know who these men were. He couldn't protect his brother if he was involved with this..and why, why would he do this? He ran his fingers through his hair frustrated. He could feel a panic attack coming on and he had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself. It didn't help. "No, there has to be something else I'm missing."

     He dialed Seokjin. Almost immediately regretting it when he answered.

     "Taehyung?" Seokjin's voice came through the receiver, he couldn't manage to answer, contemplating on what he should tell Seokjin, he knew that he wouldn't hesitate to kill his brother. "Where are you?"

     "Seokjin, I need you to promise me something first-" Taehyung started to breathe heavy.

     "I can't promise you anything," Seokjin answered honestly, but Taehyung already figured he wouldn't.

     Taehyung sent a picture of Jimin with the two men at the car talking. "Don't hurt him." He pleaded, but he knew that was in vain.

     "Where are you?" The anger in his voice was vibrating through the phone and Taehyung started to sweat.

     "Hotel on Grande Street," Taehyung whispered. Seokjin hung up and Taehyung knew he would be here within ten minutes. He leaned against the wall and covered his mouth. _Please let this be a big misunderstanding._

     When he looked back out the window, Jimin was alone and he swore that Jimin spotted him, he was staring up at the hotel windows like he was studying something. Taehyung ducked behind the curtain, "Shit." He exhaled, alarmed. He counted to ten and then chanced a peek. Jimin had looked away, he was fixing his hair in the side-view mirror. 

     

Seven short minutes later, Seokjin pulled up at the curb in front of the hotel on his motorcycle, revving his engine a little too loud for someone that was supposed to remain hidden. He lifted off his helmet and stared right at the middle building as he turned his bike off. Taehyung hurried out of the hotel and joined him moments later, panicked at his lack of discretion.

     "Are you crazy, do you want them to see you?" Taehyung knew Seokjin was not this dense.

     Seokjin smirked. "Maybe you should go back home now." His gaze was murderous. Taehyung felt chills, this look was not good.

     "Wh-what are you gonna do?" Taehyung was about to lose his mind. "You can't hurt him-"

     Seokjin looked down at the ground, cracking his neck, when he looked back up, his eyes were black and his fangs were extended beyond his lips. "Trust me, you're gonna want to go back to your car and get the hell out of here."

     Taehyung couldn't speak, he was terrified of Seokjin right now, his body tensed up, paralyzing him. "N-no." He stammered, and Seokjin pushed him, he stumbled backward to catch himself from falling.

     "Go now." He growled and Taehyung jumped, backing away from the elder. "GO!"

     Taehyung took off running, as fast as his wobbly legs could carry him, back down the block to his car. He came around the corner and stopped, trying to catch his breath. His attention snapped immediately to the grotesque looking man standing next to his car, his hands in his pockets like he was waiting for someone, and next to him...was Jimin, leaning against the door with his arms crossed, staring right at him with a look in his eyes Taehyung had never seen from his brother. Contempt. 

     Taehyung's heart dropped. "You son of a bitch-" Taehyung spat, rushing forward, he decked Jimin, who fell to the ground with a hard thump. "You've been leaking information about our pack-"

     "Not about our pack, about Seokjin-" Jimin wiped his mouth and stood.

     "Why?" Taehyung yelled, angrier than he had ever been before, he wanted to throttle Jimin.

     "The Onyx are dangerous, Taehyung, you know that." Jimin tried to explain, but Taehyung shook his head.

     "No..Jacker is the enemy..why the fuck would you side with them?" 

     "Someone has to protect our pack, you all don't see it." Jimin reasoned. "I've seen what the Onyx can do."

     "What are you talking about?" Taehyung was incredulous, he could not believe this was his brother, his blood.

     "Meredith opened my eyes." Jimin didn't blink as he stared through Taehyung.

     "She's corrupted you." Taehyung corrected him. "You can't believe what she is saying-"

     "Seokjin's grandfather single-handedly wiped out 23 packs. He murdered them for no other reason than them being werewolves." Jimin uttered, "Not to mention, what Jungkook's father was..."

     "That doesn't mean they-"

     "Don't be ignorant Taehyung." Jimin leaned against the car, his voice vehement. "I can't protect you from what's going to happen if you choose their side."

     "What do you mean?" Taehyung felt like he was about to throw up.

     "You don't want to be on the wrong side of this." Jimin's tone was too calm, he looked at the sidewalk, "You're my brother, but if you choose them.." Jimin looked back at Taehyung, his gaze blank. "Then you're the enemy."

     "Jimin?" Taehyung pleaded, he knew why Jimin was here waiting for him.

     "Leave with me Tae," Jimin begged,  "Pledge your allegiance to the right side-"

     "Don't do this, please." A tear rolled down Taehyung's cheek.

     The man that had been standing there the whole time motionless, pulled out a silver dagger from his pocket, Taehyung's eyes darted to him then back to Jimin.

     "Last chance," Jimin informed him, his face remorseful.

     "Let me help you." Taehyung took a step towards him, but he backed up. "Jimin, please."

     Jimin scrunched up his face, defiant. "Then I declare you the enemy-"

     "Jimin-" Taehyung's heart broke in two. "Don't do this!"

     Jimin backed up several feet and glared at the man hesitant, as if he was mulling an important decision around in his mind. He slowly nodded, then looked away.

     The man lunged forward and Taehyung dodged the daggered hand that swung at him, "Jimin..." He yelled, but Jimin did not respond, he just stood there with his back to the scene.

     "Don't fight it, it hurts much worse when you fight it." The man took several swipes at Taehyung, but he managed to evade each movement. Taehyung felt dead inside, all his energy drained - How could his brother stand there and let this man kill him?

     "Jimin, look at me," Taehyung yelled, reaching for his arm, but the man took advantage and pinned him against the wall of the brick building behind him, Taehyung struggled to keep the dagger from being plunged into his stomach, it took every ounce of strength to push his arm away. If he was stabbed with the dagger and was unable to remove it, he would bleed to death- the silver poisons the skin around it, causing the healing process to halt. "Ji-Jimin!"

     The blade inched closer to his abdomen, he could feel the cold, sharp point against the cloth of his shirt. He closed his eyes, trying to find the strength to fight back, but the man was too powerful. His arms ached, about to give out. This was it...he was going to die right here on some random street in the middle of town, alone.

     "Jimin-" He muttered, opening his eyes to stare at his brother who didn't even have the decency to spare him a glance.

     With a sudden force, the man was violently pulled off of him. Taehyung watched wide-eyed as Yoongi plunged his fangs into the man's neck, his blood spurting all over Taehyung's face. The dagger fell to the ground with a clank, kicked aside as the man's feet shook from shock.

     "Achh...rrrg..." The man gurgled, failing to pull himself from Yoongi's grasp.

     Yoongi seized the man by the hair and pulled his neck to the side so he could rip further into his neck, Taehyung had never seen so much blood in his life, it was obscene. The man finally stopped resisting, his body went limp moments later. Yoongi expelled a canister of liquid into the man side, locking eyes with Taehyung as he dramatically let go of the body. They both watched as he fell to the ground, disintegrating into a pile of ash. Yoongi glanced up at Taehyung again, an unnerving smile across his lips.

      _Holy...shit!_  Taehyung's mouth dropped open, he was not sure where the hell Yoongi had come from or how the hell he found him at this very moment, but he was relieved, if not for Yoongi, he'd be dead right now.

     Yoongi wiped the blood from his chin and then licked his fingers, the smile faded as he focused his attention to Jimin. Taehyung stared at his brother, Jimin stood there shaking, absorbing the fact that he was now alone and Yoongi still looked hungry. He panicked and fled the scene, running at full speed away from the two of them.

      "Jimin, wait-" Taehyung started after him, but Yoongi grabbed his arm, stopping him.

     "He made his choice." Yoongi let go and Taehyung looked down at the ground, catching his breath. He felt a terrible sadness creep over him, he knew he just lost his brother. His best friend.

     "Why are you here?" Taehyung looked up at him suddenly, as realization set in.  Yoongi smirked. "...Seokjin wanted to be seen-"

     Yoongi just nodded his head once, placing his hand on Taehyung's shoulder "Go home and wait for us."

     Taehyung's snap back to reality reminded him of why he was at his car in the first place. He nodded to Yoongi, opening the door, he slinked into his seat. He looked in the rearview mirror, Yoongi was already halfway down the road, dashing towards the factory at warp speed. He closed his door and started it up, glancing into the rearview once more, he put it in drive and began to pull away, only to slam on his breaks and proceed to beat the shit out of the steering wheel before collapsing into it, burying his face in the leather and bawling.

 

     The Inside of the factory building was dark, lit only by the sunlight streaming through the giant windows on the far side of the wall. It was near empty except for several old crates that lined the opposite wall and a handful of tipped over boxes smack dab in the middle where Seokjin was standing, surrounded by deceased silhouettes he had removed from the world only moments ago. Gunshots rung out outside and Seokjin turned as Yoongi came bolting through the doors, practically knocking them from their worn hinges.

     "Taehyung is safe." Yoongi informed him as he stepped over three dead bodies to join Seokjin. "You started without me?"

     It wasn't long before they were interrupted by ten heavily armed, gun toting assholes, filing in like a bunch of dysfunctional military officers. "Only ten?" Seokjin smiled.

     "Guns?" Yoongi chimed in as they circled around the two of them, guns aimed. "Fucking pussies." 

     "Well, what would they be without their ultraviolet or wolfsbane bullets?" He laughed. "Fighters?"

     "Such a waste," Yoongi whined.

     "Awful confident for a couple of dead men walking." Hissed one of the men.

     "How many you want?" Seokjin asked Yoongi.

     "Split them even? Five each?" Yoongi thought, "Maybe six/four, you are stronger than I am."

     "Oh, now you admit this." Seokjin chuckled.

     "Shut the fuck up." Another man yelled out.

     "Oh, I'm sorry, if you're so gung-ho to pump us full of your precious technology, do it already," Yoongi scoffed.

     "We don't need guns to take you down." A third man piped in.

     "Yeah." Two others agreed in unison.

     Yoongi removed his jacket and threw it to the side, cracking his knuckles. He held up his hands questioning who was man enough to take him down, challenging someone forward. Two of the men dropped their guns and removed their jackets, both stepping up to Yoongi, confident they could kick his ass and make an example out of him. They both attempted to pounce on him at the same time and crashed into each other as Yoongi quickly moved to the side. Seokjin took the opportunity to disarm several of the distracted men, taking the guns and shoving them straight through their chests, their organs splatting on the floor made two of the men run from the room, frightened.

     "Whose next?" Seokjin taunted.

     The man with the red coat swung at Seokjin, but he grabbed him by the arm, maneuvered himself behind him and snapped his arm backward, the man yelled out in pain, his screams echoing through the place, sounding like the soundtrack of a horror film production. His friend lunged forward, but Seokjin stopped him with a hard kick to the chest, he flew back, but quickly recovered, firing off a couple shots with his semi-automatic. Seokjin used the red coat man as a shield, he screamed once again as the bullets penetrated his flesh. Seokjin pushed the dead body to the ground and ran to pounce on the gun happy guy, slamming him to the cold cement. He plunged his fist into the man's chest cavity and pulled out his still beating heart.

     Yoongi was toying with the three guys that focused their attention on him, one man would attack and he would fend them off a little too easily, it was like a fun little game, the smile never left his face. Seokjin laughed because Yoongi's vampire speed was no match for them, it looked comical, like an episode of the 'Three Stooges'.  He swore that Yoongi was just bored and this was probably the most excitement he had in...years.

     The last man dashed towards Seokjin, brandishing a bright silver dagger that seemed to glow just a tad blue, probably poisoned with wolfsbane. He took several swipes at Seokjin, but missed each time as the elder ducked. Seokjin punished him with a roundhouse kick to the chin, dropping him to his knees. This angered the man and he became a bit too irrational to continue a normal fight. Seokjin loved when they reached this point because most men could not focus through anger, not like he could. Seokjin wielded his anger like a weapon, he thrived off of it.

     "You're dead!" The man screamed as he grabbed a stray gun from the floor and started spraying off shots, Seokjin dodged all but one, the last bullet hit him hard in the shoulder and he actually stumbled a bit. He looked at the wound and then at the guy, his teeth growing under his lips, his eyes now black again. The man knew immediately he had made a grave mistake, and as he turned to run, Seokjin took a leap and landed on the man's back, he hit the floor with a large pronounced thump. The man tried to crawl out from under the massive weight of this now fully turned Werewolf/Onyx hybrid, but Seokjin merely placed his black paw on the man's shoulder and held him down.

     Yoongi bit down into the muscle of the man closest to him, his blood streamed down his neck onto his clothing at an alarming rate, he looked strangely euphoric as Yoongi drained his blood. He slowly closed his eyes and Yoongi pushed him off immediately, disgusted at the sight. The man laid thrashing about as his blood spurted from the open holes. 

     "Pleeeease," The man choked, holding his hand out like he wanted Yoongi to continue...

     Yoongi did him a favor, he slinked up over the man's body and positioned himself straight over his throat, the man anticipated Yoongi's lips, writing like he was about to orgasm. Yoongi went straight for the kill, ripping out his larynx like a lion on a gazelle, he ended the scum's suffering.     

     "He killed Trevor..." One of the men gasped in a hushed voice like he thought that would stop them from hearing him.

     Yoongi identified a small tattoo on the underside of the man's chin and realized he was a familiar, a vampire wannabe who probably got off on his master sucking his blood. Yoongi hated familiars.

     "Get him..." The second man goaded, pushing his buddy forward.

     "Fucking familiars." Yoongi seethed. He looked over at Seokjin, then back at the two men who were staring at him, trying to work out how to take this crazy vampire down.

     "No, you..." the first man backed up.

     "I'm bored, you bore me," Yoongi announced in the most monotone voice he could muster. Then without a warning, he grabbed the first man, snapped his neck and before the second man could react, he had already bit down into his carotid artery several times, leaving deep gashes into his flesh and a messy bloodbath on the floor below. He sighed as the man fell limp, none of them were even a challenge.

     "Get off of me, get off you disgusting piece of trash." The man under Seokjin screamed.

     "Hurry up Seokjin." Yoongi urged, wiping the blood from his chin.

     Seokjin picked the man up, his hand wrapped firmly around his neck, his face turned a putrid purple from the pressure. Seokjin growled, it was so ferocious, Yoongi felt the floor shake.

     "Jesus Christ, now you're going to be naked and I don't have any clothes to give you," Yoongi whined, scanning the room.

 

     Yoongi stood above the cold body of a now pantless man and shook his head, what a sight he must have been moments earlier, undressing this corpse for his best friend. He threw the pants to Seokjin who was standing off to the side, transforming back into his human form.

     "Thanks," Seokjin mumbled.

     Yoongi's phone rang and he dug it out of his pocket, swiping to answer. "You find them yet?" He asked, bending back down to remove the jacket from Mr. Dead Guy.

     "Still in route." Namjoon's voice sounded on the other end. "Everything good there?"

     "Just finishing up." Yoongi threw Seokjin a jacket. "Heading back to Taehyung now, I'm sure he's flipping the fuck out."

     "Good, will keep you informed," Namjoon spoke and Yoongi nodded.

     He hung up the phone as Seokjin joined him, buttoning the jacket. "I smell gas." He sniffed the air, the pungent aroma of gasoline invaded his nostrils.

     "Yeah, let's go." Yoongi patted him on the chest. "It's about to get really hot in here."

 

     Seokjin got on his bike, adjusting his helmet. He handed the extra to Yoongi who put it on and climbed on behind him, grabbing the sides of the bike for balance. In the background, a loud explosion sounded out and they both looked over their shoulder at the factory up in flames, a slight shockwave rocked them forward.

     "Hold on." Seokjin advised as he started the bike. He revved the engine a few times and then peeled out, leaving a long, dark skidmark on the asphalt. He looked in his mirror at the smoke rising over the horizon, painting the sky in a thick black mist.

     Yoongi smiled to himself; explosions and destruction, blood that came from an actual vein instead of a blood bag, mayhem, rescues and being reunited with his best friend - and all this in less than 24 hours of being back. Oh, this was heaven.

 

     When they arrived back to the castle, they found Taehyung sulking in the library, staring through his computer screen, depressed.

     "Hey." Yoongi sat on the edge of the table, scooting his butt up allowing his feet to dangle. 

     "Hey." Taehyung looked up at him, expressing the most pitiful look Yoongi had ever seen.

     Yoongi reached over and closed the laptop, "You should get some sleep."

     "I can't, I tried." Taehyung sighed. He was beside himself, he had just come from explaining to his Father what Jimin had done, only to see his father's face fall and him burst into tears. The last time he had seen his dad cry like that, they had just buried their mother. "I don't understand how he could do that."

     "Brothers suck." Seokjin joined them, placing his hand on Taehyung's shoulder and giving him a quick squeeze. He felt for Taehyung because he knew what this sort of betrayal felt like. Taehyung could have easily joined Jimin, but he stayed loyal to his pack..and to him and Jungkook. He felt like he owed him for that. "I'm sorry, it sucks, I know."

     Taehyung nodded and pushed his laptop aside. "What now?" He cleared his throat and wipes his eyes, putting on his brave face. He was determined to put this out of his mind for now, his focus needed to be on getting Jungkook back.

     "We wait for Namjoon to call back," Yoongi responded. "If all goes well, we'll be busting down Jacker's door by morning."

     "Good." Taehyung looked over at Seokjin who was staring out the window, deep in thought. "Seokjin?"

     "Question," Seokjin turned to Taehyung, it was like a light bulb had come on in his brain. "Is there a way I can build up immunity to Wolfsbane?"

     "I guess theoretically yeah, but it would take time." Taehyung speculated, "Not something you could accomplish in a day."

     "Don't know until we try." Seokjin wrapped his arm around Taehyung's shoulder like he had a newfound best buddy, determined to procure a medical miracle.

     "Seokjin, don't be stupid, this could kill you. I don't have that much antidote." Taehyung informed him. "You should save that for the battle."

     "I don't want a weakness when I go there to fight Jacker." Seokjin's voice was raised.

     "Well guess what, you have one," Taehyung mumbled. 

     "I heal fast, just a little... anything," Seokjin begged.

 

     Taehyung didn't agree with doing this, but he knew Seokjin was feeling helpless right now and maybe this would preoccupy both their minds, he knew he'd probably regret it later. He put a small dose of Wolfsbane into a syringe, tapping out the bubbles and squirting a small amount into the air. He clutched Seokjin's arm and glanced up at Yoongi, who put his hands on Seokjin's shoulders and squeezed, holding him down.

     "Good luck." Taehyung stuck the needle in and expelled the liquid into Seokjin's veins. Seokjin's body shook a bit as the poison hit his bloodstream. He could feel his temperature rising, his insides burned like his body had caught fire.

     "Shit." Seokjin moaned, closing his eyes, grasping the sides of his chair. Taehyung had the antidote ready. 

     "You okay?" Yoongi asked, he exchanged a worried glance with Taehyung.

     Seokjin opened his eyes, they turned black then back to normal then back to black. He was fighting the poison as hard as he could, neither Taehyung or Yoongi were sure which was winning the battle - Wolfsbane - 1 / Onyx Hybrid - 0. The veins in his neck darkened to an eggplant purple color, trickling down to his chest, it was like a winter tree - branches of vessels became visible against his skin. Taehyung was about to plunge the antidote into his neck when Seokjin grabbed his arm and pushed it back.

     "Not yet," Seokjin grumbled and cracked his neck. He closed his eyes again, his body trembled, it took all his concentration to fight it off.

     "Seokjin?" Taehyung again attempted to put the antidote into him, and again Seokjin grabbed his arm. 

     "I said not yet," Seokjin growled louder, Taehyung drew his arm back quickly, his bones crushing under Seokjin's grip.

     "Look." Yoongi pointed to Seokjin's neck, the black began to recede and his veins were returning back to a normal color, "He's doing it."

     "Holy shit." Taehyung set the antidote down and felt his pulse. "Heart rate is almost normal." 

     Seokjin rotated his neck, opening his eyes. Everything was a bit blurry as he unclenched his hand from the seat and focused his attention to Yoongi, blinking like he was a bit drunk.

     "You okay?" Yoongi asked, hoping this wasn't that calm before the big storm. In this case, a pain-filled seizure where Seokjin exploded and guts flew everywhere...

     "It makes me tired." Seokjin breathed hard and looked up at Taehyung.

     "Your body is fighting death, fatigue is bound to be a factor," Taehyung smirked. "You just resisted enough poison to kill you."

     "Told you he was the stubbornest asshole I ever met." Yoongi let go off Seokjin's shoulders.

     "It was a small dose, nothing to celebrate." Seokjin shook his head, "Do more."

     "Seokjin-" Yoongi started.

     "Do more." Seokjin grabbed Taehyung's hand and pulled him down so they were face to face. "Please."

      He let go and Taehyung straightened up, he took a deep breath and exhaled, shaking his head. "You're going to kill yourself."

 

     They did the injection of wolfsbane three more times, each time increasing the dosage. Each time, he was successful in fighting it off. The last dose took Seokjin a good fifteen minutes to bounce back from. He described the ordeal as excruciating, Yoongi commented something about him being a 'bad-ass motherfucker'.

     "You barely fought off that last batch, you need to stop," Taehyung informed him. "You're over double the amount needed to kill an Onyx."

     "I have to agree Seokjin, Jacker isn't expecting you to fight this off, he wouldn't use more than that." Yoongi piped in.

     "Fine." Seokjin stood, he staggered a bit and Yoongi grabbed him by the waist to steady him.

     "You're pale as fuck," Yoongi commented, steering him towards the cot in the corner of the lab, "You should get some sleep."

     Seokjin broke out in a cold sweat. "I'll just lay down for a bit." He slurred and Yoongi helped him over to the cot. His head hit the pillow and he was asleep within minutes. Yoongi removed Seokjin's shoes then walked back over to Taehyung.

     "I think you should monitor his vitals for a couple hours," Yoongi suggested and Taehyung agreed. "You need me to stay for a bit?"

     "Please." Taehyung looked down. "I don't really want to be alone with my thoughts right now."

     Yoongi pulled up a stool and sat, glancing over at Seokjin who mumbled Jungkook's name in his sleep. He turned back to Taehyung, watching as he set the antidote into the fridge. The last time Yoongi had been in this lab, he was bitten by a troll. Talk about excruciating, it was the worse pain he had ever felt.

 

     Namjoon called about an hour later, the guy they had been following pulled through the gates to a mansion inside of a compound and had rushed inside like his mission had been compromised and he was in a world of shit. Namjoon had a pair of binoculars and was studying the landscape when the door opened and Tao came out of the house with the guy's dead body slung over his shoulder and stuffed it into the trunk of the car he had arrived in. Namjoon wondered if Jimin was inside that house or if he and Meredith went into hiding and would end up there at some point. He wondered if Jimin even knew where they were keeping Jungkook. He told Yoongi to assemble the pack and sent him the GPS coordinates. "Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."

     One thing was for certain, when Seokjin woke up and found out Namjoon had arrived at Jacker's hideout, all hell was going to break loose. He would not rest until Jungkook was back home and safe...and Jacker was dead.


	19. Revelation

      Jungkook was sitting on the floor of his 'cell', kicking around a stray rock that was sitting by his foot, anything to pass the agonizing time between being pulp on the stone and getting roughed up by Tao. He had barely healed from the last round of 'Let's use Jungkook as a punching bag' and it seemed like the beatings were becoming more frequent, up to two a day now.. It was getting harder to hold on, he was so tired.

     The door opened and he sat upright, straining to see who it was coming into the darkened room. _Please, not Tao..._

     "Jungkook?" Nari called out.

     "Mom?" Jungkook called back.

     He felt her arms wrap around him in a tight hug. He was brought back to when he was a young child, safe and comfortable in his mother's loving embrace. He'd forgotten how that felt, it was so foreign to him.

     "Are you hurt?" She asked, looking him over, worry in her voice.

     "I heal fast," Jungkook assured her as she stared into his eyes. He seemed broken, like he was seconds away from breaking down and giving up. Her heart ached, after all this time to be reunited with him just to watch him be tortured by the very thing she wanted to protect him from. 

     "I am so sorry, my son, I did not want any of this to happen." She cried and hugged him again.

     "I know, it's fine, please don't be sad." Jungkook wasn't sure what to say to comfort her, she was familiar but still like a stranger too. The only person that had hugged him lately was Seokjin, so he felt a bit odd in his Mother's arms.

     "You have grown so much." She brushed the hair from his face. "My handsome man."

      "If I had known you were still alive, I would have found you-" He started, but she put her finger to his lips.

     "You couldn't have known." Nari leaned up, the realization of the situation was all too real. "I understand now why he kept me alive for so long.  I know he plans to use me as leverage when Seokjin comes here, to make you choose your loyalty."

     "I can't let him kill you," Jungkook exclaimed, there was no way he would lose her again.

     "Jacker is going to kill me anyway, all of us if he gets the chance." Nari sighed. "You must fight alongside Seokjin and not worry about my fate."

     "How can I not?" Jungkook was beside himself, how could she expect him to watch her die?

     "I will stand with you the best I can, but I am an old woman now, I have lived my life, so you cannot worry about me Jungkook, do not let Jacker use me." Nari was adamant. She knew it was time to explain some things to him, "I knew Seokjin as a child-"

     Jungkook's eyes widened, surprised. "You did?"

     "Yes, he was always exceptional. On the few occasions I was around him, it was obvious that he wasn't like the rest of our kind." She smiled. "Most Hybrid Onyx struggle with control as a child, not always able to turn it on and off, even as adults some still do, but Seokjin knew how to use his gifts to help him."

     "Yeah, he's incredible at fighting." Jungkook beamed.

     "It had a lot to do with why your Father chose Namjoon's pack for you as well, he was hoping that Seokjin would teach you how to control your anger."

     "Why did Noni erase my memories of this all?" Jungkook was curious, no one had explained this to him.

     "The decision to place you in a pack was made a few days after you nearly killed another child." She took a deep breath, the pain of the memory haunted her. "Your best friend Rory, the two of you used to play in a tree fort in the woods behind our backyard, the two of you loved that thing."

     "I think I remember that place." Jungkook thought aloud.

     "I guess the two of you had a disagreement and out of anger, you attacked him, mauled him pretty good. We were able to convince everyone that it was an animal attack, but your father and I realized the danger in not controlling your anger."

     Jungkook looked down, he didn't remember Rory or any of this. "I wish I could remember-"

     "You didn't need that guilt on you, Jungkook," Nari insisted, "It was better for you to have a fresh start, remember your childhood as positive."

     "But why not just raise me yourself? You're the same as me-"

     "Your father always had someone after him, always had someone threatening your life..and with the realization of what you are, there would be too many questions. It was better this way."

     "Why Seokjin?" Jungkook questioned, feeling a bit guilty - as much as he wished he had been with his parents, he was glad that he had met Seokjin..if they hadn't let him go, he'd never had met the love of his life.

     "Your Father had a bit of a soft spot for Seokjin, he helped save his life when he was just a young man. Had it been any other person, he would have let nature take its course, walked away and let them die, one less evil in the world." She smiled, "He felt like Seokjin was going to be important one day. He always had a sixth sense when it came to this stuff."

     "He is important!" Jungkook's eyes turned a brilliant blue, Nari wasn't surprised, she knew how close they'd grown just by his demeanor, it was very apparent. His love for Seokjin flowed off of him like a perfume.

     "You're special Jungkook, very unique...It's very very rare that one of our kind has a blue aura."

     "Everyone keeps saying that." Jungkook was unimpressed, he felt that made him weak.

     "No, don't be ashamed of that, it is a gift." She stroked her son's hair. "One day you will understand."

     "I don't want to understand one day, I want to understand now." He bellowed, "I don't wanna be this fucking weak."

     "Jungkook, you are not weak!" She hollered, "Don't you ever believe that." She pulled him to her chest in an embrace. "You don't realize that on the spectrum, you and Seokjin are opposite, but you even each other out, that is important for the balance of nature. That is why I was so happy to know that you had bonded with him, you need each other."

     "But what if I need you too?" Jungkook looked up at her.

     "I will always be with you, but my time here is done, I can't let you risk your life or Seokjin's life for me, not when it's imperative that Seokjin kill him." She looked deep into his eyes, "Jacker is stronger, even with the dagger, he cannot do this alone."

     "Then why can't Namjoon just kill him, Jacker is afraid of him-"

     "It's Seokjin's destiny, for whatever reason, he must be the one to kill Jacker." Nari insisted.

     "It doesn't make sense." Jungkook whined, he leaned his back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, discouraged.

     Nari smiled. "Namjoon is a defender, those under him are always protected."

     "What do you mean?" Jungkook was confused, he knew nothing about Namjoon other than that he was the leader of their pack.

     "Namjoon was born of two Gods, which is a big no-no. The Gods choose human and creature mates for a reason. Two children of a God are normally put to death, because they tend to be stronger than the Gods, most of them were evil in some way, and so it was made law that this could not happen."

     "He is the son of two gods?" Jungkook was shocked, he'd never imagined Namjoon to be something so grand. "So then why wasn't he put to death like the others?"

     "His Mother, Dagma, hid him with a human family," Nari explained.

     "Dagma, I read about her, she's the Goddess of Demons."

     "Correct. No one learned what he was until he was well into his adult life, and by then, it was clear what his purpose was on this earth." Nari continued. "He helps people and protects them. The call him 'Angelus Praesidium', which means Angel of Protection."

     "Yeah, I get that." Jungkook knew Namjoon was like a beacon to the forlorn.

     "His Father denies his existence or I suspect he would be in the realm with them." Nari sighed again. "Your Father trusted Namjoon enough to let you live there, had we actually made it there that night." She put her hand on Jungkook's hand. "It's not just wayward creatures and lost souls Namjoon finds, He also looks after the children of God's and demi-gods, like Seokjin and Yoongi"

     "What?" Jungkook exclaimed, "Yoongi?"

     "He's under protection from Namjoon, even when he isn't with the pack." Nari nodded. "Namjoon's pack is very unique."

     "And secretive." Jungkook grimaced.

     "He has to be, Namjoon keeps a lot of secrets for a good reason." Nari insisted, "It's a leader's burden, I am afraid."

     The door creaked open and slammed against the wall, making both of them jump. Tao strutted in, his smile rather mischievous. He yanked Nari's arm and attempted to pull her away, when Jungkook jumped up and grabbed the front of Tao's shirt with both hands, "Don't touch her." He seethed, shaking him. Tao pushed back and Jungkook toppled over and landed on his ass, Tao's scowl was a warning.

     "Jungkook!" Nari held up her hand to Jungkook, and he glanced at her, "It is okay. Remember what I said."

     "Jacker wishes to see you." Tao barked to Jungkook, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him to stand, he staggered and fell as Tao dragged him from the room, the younger protesting every inch of the way, kicking wildly.

 

     Jacker was standing the by the window when Tao pushed Jungkook through the door, he stumbled onto the carpet, catching himself on the desk and standing up quick to stare Tao down.

     "The little fucker is trying my patience today." Tao seethed.

     "If you can't handle your job, I can find someone who can." Jacker turned to them both, the smug look disappeared off Tao's face and Jungkook tilted his head slightly raising his eyebrows to mock him. "Leave me with him."

     Jungkook gave a little goodbye wave, Tao took a step to the younger and raised his hand, determined to put this punk in his place, but Jacker cleared his throat and he stopped mid-motion, lowering his hand. He gave Jungkook a dirty look as he slogged out, slamming the door.

     "That is the luxury of power." Jacker sat on the edge of his desk. "Have a seat."

     Jungkook slinked over to the couch and plopped down, wondering what Jacker wanted now, he looked a little too pleased with himself.

     "I have a lot of idiots working for me," Jacker started, pausing to adjust some stuff on his desk, the man was very anal with the placement of his belongings, not liking anything to be even an inch out of place. "One of them led Namjoon straight here last night, so I am afraid the battle is going to start a lot sooner than I was anticipating."

     "Good, the sooner you can die," Jungkook smirked. He knew he always pushed it a bit too far with Jacker, but for some reason, it felt amazing, like it was his way of letting Jacker know he couldn't break him.

     "I would have suspected Seokjin to be here the moment Namjoon alerted them, I do hope something isn't wrong," Jacker smirked back, Jungkook's face fell and he looked down. "Oh, what's this? Not so cocky now?" Jacker stood and walked over to the couch and sat on the arm. "Everyone has a button Jungkook."

     Jungkook looked up at him defiant. "You think having my Mother here is going to convince me join you?"

     "Well, maybe I did underestimate your love for my nemesis," Jacker admitted. "But, you should just accept the outcome now, he is going to die. He can't beat me. Join us while you still have the option, while your Mother is still alive."

     "Fuck you." Jungkook snarled. 

     "Suit yourself." Jacker stood and walked back to the windows, peering out at his men guarding the gate. "If this is your decision, then I have no reason to keep her alive any longer."

     "What? No!" Jungkook stood, Jacker smiled for a brief moment, then turned to Jungkook, his face now stoic.

     "Change of heart?" Jacker loved toying with Jungkook's emotions, every distraught wrinkle in Jungkook's face was giving him great pleasure.

     Jungkook didn't know what to do, he did not want Jacker to kill his Mother, but he could never join him, and he would not turn against Seokjin or his pack, not even for his Mother, but still - he couldn't just let her die. He was at an impasse.

     "I sense your turmoil, young one." Jacker walked over to the door and summoned Tao. "Bring the prophet to me."

      _Prophet? Did he say prophet?_ Jungkook's heart thumped, what was Jacker up to? Why would Madame Kimura be here?

     A few moments later, Tao led the old lady into the room, her hair was disheveled and she was sporting facial bruises, she looked like she had been worked over a bit. Jacker's evil had no bounds, he would probably abuse his own mother if it served his goal. Tao pushed her down to kneel at Jacker's feet. She glanced over at Jungkook, nodding a silent hello.

     "Perhaps you can give him encouraging words about the outcome of what is coming." Jacker smiled and walked out of the room, leaving Tao with them.  

     Jungkook helped her up and over to the couch, "Are you okay?" He asked as he sat next to her.

     "One can only run for so long, I'm afraid." She managed a half smile. 

     Tao cracked his neck, it sounded like a twig being snapped in half, they averted their attention to him. "So tell him about the prophecy you failed to mention the first time." Tao cackled.

     Jungkook returned his attention to the Prophet. "What prophecy?"

     She looked down. "Seokjin...he's going to wipe out the werewolves." She stuttered.

     "W-what?" Jungkook knew he heard wrong.

     "He..is going to kill off every last werewolf." She looked up at him, her expression was strange, like there was something she was hiding.

     "No, that's a lie. Why would you help us if that was true?"

     "In my own greed, I wanted Jacker dead." She cleared her throat, "I felt like Seokjin could defy the odds...but if Seokjin walks out of here today, it will not be the same man you know...what he becomes today will not be pure."

     "I don't believe you." Jungkook mumbled.

     "He will kill you too Jungkook." 

      Jungkook just shook his head, she was spewing lies. "Why? Why would he do that?"

     "You're going to try to stop him, out of anger and betrayal, he kills you." She looked down again. "He's going to finish the work his grandfather started."

      Jungkook felt numb, there was no way Seokjin would do that, he knew that in his heart. Why was this just coming out now? The Prophet pulled a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket.

     "This is the prophecy," She put her hand on his shoulder, "You have a choice to make."

     Tao grabbed her arm and jerked her up, the paper fell onto Jungkook's lap, he picked it up and then looked at her, she turned her head to him and mouthed the words- "The first word of each line is the real truth."

     "Come on you old bag." Tao pulled her from the room, shutting the door behind them.

 

     _The first word of each line is the real truth?_ He looked down at the paper, it read:

     Everything Namjoon has worked for will fall.

     I tell you this because Seokjin is the cause.

     Mention this to him and you too will perish.

     Today is a battle, the outcome depends on you.

     All you need to do is make the right choice.

     Lies cannot be told once you know the truth.

 

     The first word on each line read,  **Everything I mention today, all Lies.**

Jungkook snapped his head towards the door suddenly. She was lying about what she just told him. Jacker set this up, he knew having Nari wouldn't be enough, he knew he would need a backup plan...and worse, now Jungkook had to play along, make Jacker think he fell for this whole bogus prophecy, that he actually believed that Seokjin was going to turn evil. It was the only chance his mother had to make it out alive. He had to play this just right, if he was too convincing, Jacker would catch on. _How the hell am I going to make Seokjin understand what's going on?_   Everything depended on how well he could act.

     ....But he was never a good liar.

 

 


	20. Rescue

     Yoongi liked his arm-mounted crossbows, Taehyung had helped him modify them to hold poisonous bolts, expelling them without breaking the glass vial attached. Vampires were fast, but werewolves were strong and Yoongi felt like anything to help close the gap on that little disadvantage would be a good thing. Plus, they just looked really fucking badass.

     "Looking cool isn't going to do shit for you." Seokjin frowned.

     "They're fast." Yoongi demonstrated by shooting several bolts into the wall next to Seokjin's head, earning a growl from the cranky hybrid. "Barely time to react."

     "I know this is as much excitement as you've had for the last few years,' Seokjin warned him, "But this isn't a fucking game."

     "You think I don't know that?" Yoongi was offended. He pushed Seokjin aside and grabbed the bolts from the wall. "I think all that wolfsbane in your system made you extra grumpy."

     "We should have left hours ago, what is taking everyone so fucking long to get shit together?" Seokjin slammed his pack down on the table. "This is ridiculous." 

     "Calm down, we'll get there..prepared, not half-assed." Yoongi set his hand on Seokjin's shoulder and squeezed. "Jacker knows we're coming."

     Seokjin took a large pronounced breath, trying to calm himself. It was not working, his nerves were shot and he was still fighting some of the effects of the wolfsbane in his system, he felt sluggish and he couldn't handle that right now.

     Taehyung walked into the room, carrying a pack slung over his shoulder. "We're ready to head out."

     Seokjin's face became very serious. Clenching his jaws, he grabbed his pack, "About fucking time."

     "How do you feel?" Taehyung asked as he grabbed Seokjin's head to look into his eyes. "You look a little pale still."

     "I'll live." Seokjin pushed him back, "Whos' driving?"

     "McDaniels." Yoongi answered, checking his quiver to make sure it had enough cross bolts.

     Taehyung turned to Yoongi, looking him up and down, then back to Seokjin, "I would say something positive like they do in all those movies before some shit is about to go down, but I just want to fucking kill my brother and I don't need a pep talk for that."

     "If you don't, I will." Yoongi assured him.

     "He was going to let me die, not going to let him get a second chance." Taehyung felt the realization of what that meant, he no longer had his lifelong friend to hang out with anymore, no one to confide in about all his conspiracy theories or to throw water balloons at people on bikes with. He was alone. All the childhood memories came flooding back too fast, he looked up at Yoongi, tears welled up in his eyes.

      Seokjin grabbed Taehyung by the shoulders and looked him straight in his eyes, an inch from his face, he spoke softly, "The piece of shit may have turned his back on you, but you're not alone." Seokjin leaned back up, removing his hands, "We have your back now."

     Taehyung nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, grateful that Seokjin was not being a jerk for once. Jungkook's influence was apparent, the Seokjin a year ago wouldn't spare him a second glance.

     "Let's go," Taehyung muttered and turned to the door. Seokjin was right, Jimin made his choice. Taehyung could fall apart later, after it was all over, but for now he just needed to concentrate on helping to get Jungkook out of there and giving his brother what he deserved.

 

     The ride took what seemed like days, Taehyung would glance out the window every few minutes, talking himself up. The Jimin he knew and loved was already gone, the Jimin he knew wouldn't be a coward or turn his back on his pack..or his family. That was the part that hurt the most- they were close, inseparable throughout their whole lives, together against the world. Jimin just threw that all away over some girl's word, some stupid brainwashed girl. He closed his eyes, opening them suddenly when Yoongi grabbed his hand, there was blood running down his knuckles and a cracked window in front of him.

     "Save it for the fight." Yoongi wiped the blood from Taehyung's still balled up fist and licked it off his fingers. They both looked over at Seokjin, who was sitting with his head back, headphones in, music loud enough that they both could hear it quite clearly. "Is he going to be okay?"

     "I honestly don't know." Taehyung understood Seokjin for the first time, ever. How he felt to lose a brother, how much it hurt to think someone you trust and love could turn on you so easily. "I just hope he can beat Jacker, we're all dead otherwise."

 

     Jungkook paced the floor in Jacker's office, he had been there alone for the last several hours, locked in, not knowing what was going on. He was going crazy being cut off from the world...and Seokjin. He kept peering out the windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of something, anything. He was sure that any minute now Seokjin would burst through the door, displaying Jacker's head in his hand like a trophy.

     The door opened and he turned quick, nearly tripping on the rug, it wasn't Seokjin. 

     "Jimin?" Jungkook was confused. "Is Seokjin here? Is Jacker dead?"  No, that would be too easy, he didn't hear any explosions or loud howls of pain. "Did they capture you too?" 

     "Shut the fuck up," Jimin yelled, pacing in front of him. He stopped moving, staring Jungkook in the eyes, his face scrunched up like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

     "What is wrong with you?" Jungkook didn't like the way Jimin was staring at him.

     "You..." He punched Jungkook in the stomach. Jungkook doubled over, gasping and clutching his abdomen. He was caught off guard, not expecting Jimin to hit him.

     "Why..." He coughed and straightened back up, catching his breath, "...did you do that?"

     "Don't fucking talk." Jimin pushed him and he fell back, he landed on the couch, the thing nearly tipping from the impact. 

     "Where's Taehyung?" Jungkook questioned. He wanted to believe Jimin must be flipping out because something happened to Taehyung and somehow Jimin was blaming him for having to come to his rescue.

     "I suspect he'll be here soon, fucking traitor." Jimin gave him a dirty look.

     "Traitor?" Jungkook was confused, he had no clue what had happened with the whole Jimin and Meredith thing. What he did know was that he didn't like the vibe he was getting from Jimin.

     "He turned his back on his blood." Jimin spat, he was angry, his claws digging into his palms, dripping blood onto the carpet. "For you and all the filthy onyx lovers that call itself a pack."

     "What are you talking about?" Jungkook stood, his own balled up fists at his side.

     "My Mother was one of the werewolves your fucking kind killed." Jimin's face a jumble of rage and hatred, his eyes formed into slits.

     Jungkook didn't understand any of what was going on, what he did know is that Jimin was not here to break him out or deliver bad news about the battle. Jimin wanted to kill him, but for some reason, probably Jacker, he wasn't allowed to. "You're talking nonsense-"

     "Jacker showed me the truth," Jimin hissed, "You and Seokjin must be stopped."

     Jungkook's realization put things into perspective, "You were the leak-"

     Jimin clenched his jaw, he wasn't going to glorify that with a response. "Just wait, all of you will be dead and the world will be a better place."

     "I don't know what the fuck is wrong with you, but if you think any world with Jacker in it is a better place, than you're an idiot." Jungkook was starting to boil inside. Did Jimin actually turn against his pack? His brother? He had to keep it together, he couldn't lose it now. He still had to convince Jacker that he believed Seokjin was the enemy, he had to concentrate on selling such an insane idea, getting mixed up in Jimin's drama now would just distract him.

     "You hold out hope that Seokjin will actually come for you." Jimin laughed, "Let's see how well he fares against surprises, there's a fucking ambush up the road." 

     "How the hell did you turn against your own pack...and your brother?" Jungkook looked at him, bewildered.

     "You're too stupid to understand." Jimin pushed him back down on the couch again "Fucking pathetic know-nothing kid." Jimin shook his head, "I wouldn't hesitate to kill you right now if I were allowed to."

     "You're disgusting." Jungkook scoffed and looked away, making Jimin even more heated, he was about to grab Jungkook, but Tao walked in and he stopped.

     "What the fuck are you doing in here?" Tao yelled at him, the corners of his mouth forming a scowl Jungkook recognized all too well.

     Jimin just backed away. Without saying a word, he left the room.

     Tao's scowl turned into amusement. "He's so easy to manipulate, he thinks Seokjin's grandfather killed his mother." Tao's laugh was maniacal, "It was Jacker that killed his mother." 

     Jungkook got chills, not just from the disturbing sounds emanating from the man in front of him, but the fact that Jimin was fighting a battle based off things that were a lie. How tragic. _Ambush_. It rung through his ears suddenly and the chills worsened. _They're walking into an ambush._

 

     Seokjin joined Namjoon in the trees, up the road from where Jacker's crew were waiting in hiding. "Ambush," Namjoon smirked, pointing out about ten men. "Not sly at all, kind of sloppy."

     "He thinks we're amateurs." Yoongi joined them adjusting his crossbows, followed by Taehyung.

     "Arm mounts, nice design," Namjoon noted, more to himself than anyone.

     "So how we going to do this?" Hoseok's voice sounded behind them, he was sitting in the tree about ten feet above their heads. Seokjin glanced up at him, aware he had been there. 

     "Hoseok?!" Taehyung was surprised. "What are you doing here?"

     Hoseok jumped down from the tree, landing in the dirt next to Seokjin. He hadn't planned to be there, but since he was discovered in the caves, he was feeling useless and bored, his purpose there was to protect the dagger, and with it being gone, there was no point in hanging around an old musty cave. "I imagine someone of Jacker's status is quite the hoarder of treasure."

     Taehyung laughed.

     "Not about to denounce your old ways I see." Seokjin rolled his eyes.

     "Try not to get killed, again." Yoongi's tone was sarcastic, he had an obvious beef towards the 'wizard of plunder', that is what he called the low-life, as he saw it. Hoseok knew it was because of a certain trinket that Yoongi fancied, which may or may not have been in his possession and now well hidden. 

     "I live through this and you can have the necklace back." Hoseok didn't really need protecting, but he didn't need enemies either.

     Yoongi ignored him and turned to Namjoon, "Think maybe Seokjin and I can handle the idiots down there, you all push towards the house?"

     Namjoon nodded, "That's the plan."

    

     Yoongi and Seokjin went into stealth mode, making their way down the hill to the group of guards, planning a little ambuscade of their own. From what they could smell, they were humans. This wasn't the first time they had to take out a bunch of puny human guards together. The supernatural seemed to favor human fighters; they were expendable, easy to recruit, and with the promise of a bite, many people could be convinced to do anything. Yoongi thought of them more as a distraction, a minor one at that.

     "What an abysmal attempt at an ambush." Yoongi yawned. "I'm already bored."

     "You're too modest." Seokjin joked and Yoongi smirked. 

     "Humans, Seokjin." Yoongi pointed out, "This isn't an ambush, it's a diversion, a warning to alert them we're here."

     Seokjin looked up towards the big house, Jungkook was in there somewhere and he had no clue what shape he was in. He took a deep breath. "Let's do this as quietly as we can then."

     "This feels wrong somehow." Yoongi cracked his neck. This was too easy, he didn't think Jacker thought they were all imbeciles, so what was the point of this?

     "He thinks we're a joke, it's obvious, he's mocking us." Seokjin shook his head. 

     "Maybe," Yoongi commented, making a mental note to pick up some cupcakes on the way home.

    They continued down the hill until they were just feet away from the men, the _h_ _uman_ pawns, who were standing around brandishing guns and having small talk, unaware they were being stalked. Yoongi aimed and took out two with his crossbows, alerting the rest of them. They scrambled to try to pinpoint where the attack was coming from, spinning in so many circles, they were bound to pass out from being dizzy. Seokjin took out two more with his daggers, dropping them faster than it took for him to sigh at how pathetic this was. _Too fucking easy._ Yoongi darted around them in a quick blur, one of the men fired off several erratic shots at the ground out of panic, because he sure didn't know where the two of them were. Seokjin could smell their fear, they were drenched in it.

     "You can handle these guys, I'm heading to the house." Seokjin stood behind Yoongi, snarling.

     "Go." Yoongi cracked his neck again and bared his teeth, smiling. _Dinner time._

 

     Jungkook was sure he heard a shot, two...three, he hobbled over to the window and peered out. Tao joined him, anticipation flowing through his ever-ready veins. They spotted the men and Yoongi making flesh salad of them, tons of blood dressing. _Yoongi._ He gulped down a bead of spit that had taken residence in his mouth and looked over at Tao.

     "They brought the vampire." Tao was smug. "I've been waiting to add a vampire to my kill list."

     Jungkook glared at him, this piece of shit had a fucking supernatural bucket list. He shook his head and Tao surprise elbowed him straight to the nose, his body jolted back then forward towards the window as he tried to cup his nose. Tao grabbed the back of Jungkook's neck and pushed him against the cold glass, forcing him to look outside, pointing to the rocks that lead up to the estate. "Your boyfriend is out there."

     It was Seokjin, he was standing there staring at them.

     "Seokjin!" Jungkook's eyes widened, he was never so happy to see anyone in his life, his heart began to pound in his chest. He held his hand up to the window, but Tao pulled him away from it as soon as he made contact, a stream of Jungkook's blood dripped down the pane.

     Seokjin saw the crimson and his heart sped up, _Jungkook._ He never felt such an urgency to move, to get to Jungkook, as he did this minute. He knew Tao from the fight scene, Seokjin had beaten him a few times and never really took his skills seriously - he was too much of a show-off. He also recalled that Tao was scared of him after that, he suspected the little scene at the window was a giant 'fuck you' to him. 

     Jungkook fought against Tao, but his strength overpowered the younger. He pushed Jungkook down to the couch several times, and on the fourth attempt at Jungkook trying to make it to the window, he punched him hard in the nose, causing it to gush once again. "Sit the fuck down-"

     "Fucking asshole!" Jungkook never wanted to kill anyone so bad.

 

     Downstairs Jimin and Meredith were standing in the foyer, in front of a group of about fifteen vampire and werewolf soldiers, staring right at the doors. Jimin licked his lips, he was ready for whatever came through. He felt Meredith plant a kiss on his cheek and smiled at her, then focused back at the doors once again. He was sure Taehyung would be amongst them, he knew his brother would track him down and this time, he didn't need a silver daggered helper to take him out. 

     Jungkook heard a loud explosion and felt the room shake, he gripped the side of the couch and looked up at Tao, who was just staring at him smiling. The door flung open and Jacker entered with Nari, leading her in, grasping her arm so tightly, she winced at the pressure. He just held her there, like he was waiting for someone to come bounding through the door at any minute.

     "Jungkook-" Nari whispered, locking eyes with her son, filling him with a calm. _This was it...You know what you have to do._

     "Oh, the sweet sound of death and gunshots." Jacker closed his eyes and listened, his head facing the ceiling as if in a melodic trance.

     All Jungkook heard were screams of death...and more gunshots...and glass breaking.

     "Young hybrid, I can sense you're not completely convinced of which side you need to be on." Jacker paused to make sure he had Jungkook's full attention before slicing Nari's cheek with his claw, slowly splitting her skin. She whimpered out, closing her eyes to try to dull out the pain. Jungkook stood, tensed up, the corner of his mouth turned up in disgust. 

     "He won't turn against Seokjin, even knowing the truth." Tao surmised, "He would see us all dead."

     "Love is a complicated emotion, Tao. He's conflicted." Jacker tightened the grip on Nari's arm, causing her skin to turn a light shade of purple. "Rightly so."

     "You can't trust him." Tao's remark was more an accusatory question. 

     "Surely even Jungkook understands what's at stake, what having an unpredictable Onyx running around means. He is destined to destroy a whole race. I don't think he wants that?"

     Jungkook blinked and looked at Nari and at the mark Jacker was leaving in her skin. "What do you think it is I am going to do today?" Jungkook tried to act emotionless, even though he was feeling so much all at once.

     "Seokjin dies, it all ends." Jacker looked at Nari and licked his lips.

     "You live and there is no future for the Onyx." Jungkook scoffed, "You can't control them like you do with a werewolf, that's what this comes down to."

     "The Onyx are practically extinct anyway, just the three of you and a handful of others." Jacker glared back at Jungkook.

     "I'm part Onyx, you're just going to kill me too." Jungkook felt as though Jacker was trying to bore into his brain, figure him out.

     "You're still young enough to-"

     "Control?" Jungkook interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not going to be your lapdog."

     "Think of it as constant reassurance that you are protected." Jacker pushed Nari towards him and Jungkook caught her in his arms, he held her close, comforting her.

     "So maybe today you and Seokjin kill each other and the world is free of you both," Jungkook said flatly.

     Nari looked up at him, confusion furrowed her brow.

     "So you agree that he needs to die?" Jacker asked.

     "If what the prophet says is true, then I am as good as dead anyway." Jungkook looked down at the ground. "At this point, I just want to save my Mother."

     Jacker smiled, "Wise notion."

      The door burst open and Seokjin strutted in, daggers ready. Tao turned quickly as Seokjin sliced across his chest in a swift motion then side kicked him in the gut, watching as he flew through the window, shattering the glass and toppling out. Jacker nabbed Jungkook, gripping him by the back of his hair and forcing him into a kneel. Jungkook fought to loosen Jacker's hold, but Jacker just yanked his head back causing him to scream out in pain.

     Seokjin turned to them, his eyes blacker than Jacker's soul. Hatred was etched across his face like a thick blanket, Jungkook could feel the indignation oozing from the elder's pores, "Let him go you piece of shit-" 

     "You look mad Seokjin." Jacker taunted him. Seokjin just stared Jacker down, not budging a muscle, not looking away, staring him straight in the eyes. More chills ran through Jungkook's body, he was scared of the look in Seokjin's eyes, the murderous gaze the elder conveyed, the way his breathing made his chest heave. Jungkook believed at this moment that the elder could, in fact, take Jacker down.

     "Seokjin-" Jungkook yelled, but he did not blink, Jacker tightened his grip on Jungkook and he winced in pain. Seokjin glanced at Nari, he recognized her - was that Jungkook's Mother? She was alive!

     "Nari?" Seokjin looked back to Jacker and then to Jungkook. This was the ace up his sleeve, the thing he would use to manipulate Jungkook. He didn't think Jungkook would fall for it, nor did he think Nari would let him, but still he did not know for sure, an actual family connection could trump the bond they shared.

     "Quite the predicament." Jacker broke the silence, he looked towards the door as Tao entered, bloody and pissed off. Seokjin held up his arm to grab Tao's approaching fist, not taking his eye off Jacker. Seokjin's tight grip was crushing the bones in Tao's hand, he pushed him down to kneel in front of him, moaning in pain. Jacker sighed, perhaps his right-hand man was more incompetent than he foresaw. "Can never get good help anymore."

    Tao just looked up at Jacker in disbelief, not one to give up so easily, he broke free from Seokjin's grasp and stood quickly to face him, going straight into a fighting stance, arms raised for combat.

     "That the best you got?' Yoongi climbed through the window, where he had been floating for the last few seconds, just observing.

     "Taking your sweet time?" Seokjin watched as Yoongi walked over to join him, Tao now facing the white-haired vampire, ready to pounce.

     "Sorry, temporarily detained." Yoongi wasted no time, he grabbed Tao by the neck, in a rapid act that surprised everyone in the room. Tao made a sound Jungkook didn't think was natural, a half mix of gurgling and choking, as he fought against Yoongi's death grip.

     "B-Boss..." Tao choked out.

     "Carry on." Yoongi announced and pushed Tao against what was left of the glass, broken shards pushing into his back. Yoongi loved the smell of blood, it gave him a rush, like a drug. Tao pounded on Yoongi's chest, trying to break free, but Yoongi's claws were dug deep into his skin. Moments later, he dragged Tao out of the window and disappeared.

     "What a waste." Jacker frowned. The eery sound of Tao's pained howl off in the distance made him crack his neck in disappointment.

 

     Taehyung was in a room with a giant pool, the water too calm with all the chaos around him, especially since the water was tinted red and bodies sat at the bottom, motionless. He spotted Jimin fighting off one of the pack members, chasing him through the hallway and out onto the lawn, where he had gutted the young werewolf and watched as he painfully died. Jimin turned quickly to face Taehyung as he stepped out of the door.

     "I can see the pain in your face Taehyung, you can't hide shit from me."

     Taehyung was in turmoil, he didn't want to have to kill his best friend, his brother, his blood. He had hoped maybe he could talk some sense into him, somehow save him. "I don't want to do this."

     "Don't bother trying to get in my head." Jimin moved a few steps closer. "You were never the strong one, I told you to learn to fight instead of always having your head in those books." 

     "Just let me help you-" Taehyung pleaded.

     "My mind is clear, I know the truth." Jimin tried to remain calm, but he was too heated, he hated his brother for siding with what he believed was the real enemy, and for being so stupid, for not seeing the truth.

     "Why would you believe Jacker's lies, you've seen what he's done." Taehyung shook his head, "What could he possibly have told you to turn you against us?"

     "This is futile, you're not going to change my mind." Jimin fumed. "They killed our mother and you stand there, part of them."

     "Don't be stupid Jimin," Taehyung yelled.

     "It's a shame." Jimin closed his eyes, "I always thought you were the one person I could trust to be on _my_ side."

     "You're on the wrong side and that bitch has you too blind to see the truth." Taehyung spat.

      Jimin opened his eyes and shot Taehyung a dirty look, "Don't talk about her like that."

     "Come to your senses Jimin, she isn't who you think she is, she sought you out because she knew who you were to the pack." Taehyung reasoned.

     "Fuck you, I'm not dumb." Jimin countered.

     "You're the record keeper's son, she knew she could use you." Taehyung shook his head, not sure how to get through to Jimin. "Wake up." 

      "Maybe you should wake up-" Jimin raised his eyebrows, looking over Taehyung's shoulder.

     Taehyung didn't expect the burn he felt in his lower back, the sharp pain made him lurch forward, he turned slowly to see Meredith standing there waving a bloody dagger in her hand, grinning from ear to ear. Jimin grabbed Taehyung from behind and restrained his hands, not even giving him time to react. Meredith wasted no time in moving in, she stabbed him several times in his chest and stomach, glaring at him as he screamed out in agony. She moved closer to his face, pinching his cheeks together with her free hand. She licked the blood from the dagger.

     "You aren't going to win-" Taehyung's mouth dropped open, the stab wounds burning his insides. He felt so weak.

     "You aren't going to win.." Meredith mocked him, making a face that mirrored his, she pushed his face to the side and slammed the dagger into his flesh again and he screamed out once more. "Oh... it hurts, I know."

      Jimin closed his eyes, he couldn't bear to look.

      "Fuck you." Taehyung glared at her, refusing to let her enjoy his suffering, but the tears that ran down his cheeks were enough to let her gloat.

     "Watch this babe, you're going to want to see this," Meredith told Jimin and he opened his eyes. "I do hope you're not starting to feel sympathy for him."  

     "Just do it." Jimin urged.

     She grinned widely, as she pressed the dagger into Taehyung's neck, sliding the blade slowly in and holding it there. He couldn't scream, he couldn't move, all he could do was shake as his blood drained from him, pouring out like a faucet was turned on, running down his clothing and onto the fresh cut grass below his feet. He couldn't heal, he was going to die...out here on the lawn, with his own brother holding him down.

     His face drained of color first, to a pale lifeless hue.

     "Wow, this looks painful." Meredith giggled.

     Taehyung couldn't hold his head up any longer, it lobbed down against his chest, his mind wandering off, reliving all the memories he had with Jimin, with the pack, with his parents.

      "Ugh, just die already, damn." Meredith jiggled the dagger, "My hand is tired."

     His body started to go limp in Jimin's hands and for a brief moment, Jimin felt a twinge of sorrow for his brother - the kid he helped raise, the kid that he could confide in, that he could count on, that was his partner in crime. His heart ached as he felt Taehyung's skin turn cold, and then..his heart stopped, Jimin heard the beating die out slowly, until there was silence. Taehyung exhaled loudly, his last breath, it bounced around Jimin's ears like a sudden wind took his brother away.

     "Tae?" Jimin whispered. _Nothing_.

     Taehyung's lifeless body fell to the ground, slumped over. Jimin bent down to him, he removed the dagger and threw it aside, wiping his brother's blood from his hand. He hated that things had to be this way. _Why couldn't you just be on my side?_ He took Taehyung's hand in his own and squeezed, wiping the tears that had streamed down his brother's face. He took in a deep breath and looked up at the murderer.

     "Get up for christ sakes," Meredith ordered. "He's dead."

     Jimin couldn't move, his legs felt weak as he took his brother in his arms, he closed Taehyung's eyes and breathed in a deep breath, fighting back tears. "Just give me a minute," Jimin yelled at her.

     She rolled her eyes and stormed off.

     Taehyung's skin had already turned an ashy shade of grey, his lips a frigid blue, he was really dead. Gone.  _What have I done?_

     Hoseok strutted around the corner of the house, his arms were clutched to his chest, filled to the brim with trinkets, he was smiling to himself, proud of the haul. He stopped and gawked at Jimin as he slowly stood, still staring down at Taehyung's body. Hoseok's smile faded, was Taehyung dead?

     "I'm sorry Tae. I'm really sorry." Jimin took a deep breath and then walked off with his head down, disappearing inside.

     Hoseok dropped the stuff he was carrying and rushed over to Taehyung, kneeling down. He put his hand to Taehyung's chest, his body may have been dead, but he still had a life force inside, his soul had not left his body yet. There was still time. Hoseok held his hand over the wound on Taehyung's neck and closed his eyes, pressing hard against his skin.

     Yoongi walked up the path coming from the woods, he stopped short, squinting to make out that Hoseok was kneeling over Taehyung and Taehyung wasn't moving. He ran over pushing Hoseok aside, thinking that whatever he was doing had killed the boy. "What are you doing?" Yoongi bent down to Taehyung, looking at the pool of blood that soiled the grass, the blood that had stained his clothing to a dark red.

     "I'm helping him you stupid fuck." Hoseok pushed Yoongi aside and grabbed his neck again. "There's not much time-"

     "Who did this?" Yoongi got to his feet, his face contorted with rage. "Who did this to him?"

     "Jimin." Hoseok breathed heavy, not taking his eyes of Taehyung, he didn't know if he could save him. Each second there, Taehyung's life force weakened, his soul striving to escape his body. Hoseok fought it off, but he didn't know if his magic was strong enough.

      Yoongi backed up slowly, inspecting Taehyung's lifeless body, an immense pain in his core. When he found Jimin he was going to rip out his heart and dangle it in front of his face, still beating. He was going to make Jimin watch himself die. He took off running back through the house, his only mission now was to find Jimin and his worthless girlfriend.

     Hoseok's hand was encased in a pure white light, he held it steady to Taehyung's neck, pressing his other hand against his chest, trying his hardest to bring Taehyung back, the soul's urge to leave was strong, it took great magical strength to keep it from escaping into the afterlife, strength that was wavering on the brink. "Come on." Hoseok pleaded with himself. "Come on Taehyung."

     If he did manage to bring Taehyung back, he wouldn't be the same, he would be undead like himself, he would crave brains like he did, never quite able to quench his thirst for flesh. But undead was better than gone forever.

     "Don't you give up!" Hoseok yelled. If he didn't revive him soon, he wouldn't be able to continue, Hoseok's energy was draining rapidly...and he wouldn't hold out much longer, not without killing himself in the process.

 

* * *

This chapter made me cry, I wanted to cut it off here, so it wouldn't be too long. I am writing the next one now and will not stop until I upload it.     

     


	21. Deception

     Jacker faced Seokjin, still gripping a tuft of Jungkook's hair in his hand. It seemed like neither wanted to make a move, noises of pain and destruction echoed all around them, but they didn't budge, they stood locked in a battle of gazes. Jungkook peered up at Seokjin through the slits in his bangs.

     "Seems we are at an impasse here." Jacker broke the tense silence. "Should I let the boy go and you and I can try to solve this in a more timely manner?"

     "Me killing you, I'm all for that." Seokjin uttered, not faltering.

     "I'm not sure the boy would agree." Jacker looked down at Jungkook, "Have you chosen your fate Jungkook?"

     Seokjin blinked a few times, what was Jacker talking about?

     "I've hit a nerve." Jacker smiled. "See Jungkook, everyone has a button."

     Jungkook stared at Seokjin, he really hoped that Seokjin understood what he was about to say and why he was saying it. 'I love you', He mouthed and Seokjin stared at him. "He's going to kill my Mother, Seokjin. I know you would do the same if you were in this situation."

     Seokjin thought he understood what Jungkook was doing, he'd play along. "What situation?"

     "I didn't want to believe it, about what Jacker said about you, but the prophet confirmed it.."

     Jacker licked his lips, enjoying the show. witnessing Seokjin's suffering would make everything worth it.

     "As much as I love you, what you're going to do if you leave here alive today-" Jungkook stopped, getting choked up. "I just.." He closed his eyes. "You're going to kill a lot of werewolves, Seokjin...you're going to kill me."

     "What are you talking about?" Seokjin asked.

     "I can't be with you on this-" Jungkook looked away, it pained him to say these words. "You and Jacker can kill each other for all I care-"

     Seokjin didn't understand what Jungkook meant, it was an act, it had to be, but what was he talking about? What had the prophet told him? He was speechless, but his eyes told Jacker that what the younger was saying was hurting him. Seokjin felt sick to his stomach, something in him weakened.

     "There, there it is. Your weak spot." Jacker felt giddy. "This bond is your weakness."

     Seokjin didn't hear Jacker, his voice was just an annoying buzz filling the room, he stared at Jungkook, trying to figure out what he was doing. Jungkook moved his eyes to his mother for a moment, then raised his eyebrows at Seokjin. 

 _Please understand what I am trying to say to you._ Jungkook kept thinking over and over, wishing Seokjin was an empath like Noni.

     "Jungkook, no," Nari spoke up, she didn't know what the prophet had said and what Jungkook was doing now, but Jungkook could use this to his advantage.

     "He's going to kill me-" Jungkook scrunched up his face, trying to play off being conflicted and hurt.

     "No, no." Nari stood by Seokjin, "You can't believe what they are telling you." 

     "Knowing what I know, I can't help him-." Jungkook closed his eyes.

      Jacker smiled. "Ah yes, the cavalry has arrived." Jacker looked towards the door as several of his men filed into the room, one seizing Seokjin's wrists. Seokjin shook him off. Two of the guys held up guns aimed at his head, but he didn't take his eyes off Jungkook. "I wouldn't make a wrong move, I still have wolfsbane, your other weakness."

     "So that's it? You're going to turn against me Jungkook?" Seokjin looked down at him, one of the men grabbed Seokjin's daggers, disarming him. "I thought we meant something to each other?"

     "Meant something?" Jungkook raised his voice and Seokjin flinched slightly. "It won't stop you from turning on me-"

     "Based on what, based on some bullshit lie Jacker is telling you?" Seokjin yelled. " You're pathetic."

      Jungkook shrugged, he really hated this, he didn't even know if Seokjin was playing along or if him saying this meant he believed what Jungkook had said to him, he just wanted to get his mother out of there, he just wanted to make sure she would be safe, he didn't want to watch her die in battle and lose her again.

     "He'll kill you as soon as I'm gone." Seokjin laughed. "Both of you." He looked at Nari, tears were streaming down her face, she was a little too convincing, Seokjin thought.

    

     Hoseok was about to give in, his energy was waning on the edge, every tense muscle sent a throbbing sensation to his brain, reminding him that each second he sat there, the weaker he'd grow. If he continued on, they would both die. _I'm so sorry, Taehyung._ He began to remove his hands from Taehyung's body, when someone grabbed onto them from behind and placed them back. Hoseok turned his head to see Noni staring at him, she nodded as she closed her eyes, grasping his hands tightly. He turned back around to face Taehyung, it was like an instant rush of adrenaline, he could feel Noni's magic coursing through him - it was warm and pure...and strong. It didn't take long before Taehyung's arm twitched and then his legs, Hoseok's face lit up - he was fighting back.

     "It's working!" Hoseok closed his eyes, concentrating all his attention onto Taehyung, all the renewed power gave him hope. Taehyung jolted up, taking a large pronounced breath of air, gasping to jump-start his lungs. He coughed, turned on his side and then threw up.

     "Noni, we did it-" Hoseok's new found smile faded once more when he glanced over at Noni as she collapsed, sitting upright onto the grass. She clutched her hand to her heaving chest, wheezing.

     "Noni?" Hoseok caught her as she fell into his arms, unconscious. He checked her pulse, she was fading quick. In a matter of seconds, her heart gave out and the beating stopped..then she was gone. "Oh, Noni." Hoseok closed his eyes.

     He slowly laid her down on the grass, moving a stray hair that had planted itself over her eyes. He took a deep breath, saddened. Noni didn't just give him energy, she gave him  _all_ her energy, every last bit - so that Taehyung could live.

     "N-Noni?" Taehyung felt dizzy, the world was spinning, he staggered to stand up, but fell on his knees. "What's happening to me?"

     "You were dead Taehyung, longer than anyone ever should be." Hoseok grabbed his arm and pulled him up to stand, wrapping Taehyung's arm around his shoulder to steady him. 

     Taehyung looked down at his hands, his skin was grey, a pale lifeless grey. The world through his eyes appeared in black and white, except for the blood, the blood on his clothing, the blood on the grass - it was a brilliant red, too red. He could practically taste the blood that began to pool in in Noni's corpse. He could smell her flesh, her tasty, juicy flesh, he was so hungry, he licked his lips, salivating.

     "You can't eat the woman that just died for you." Hoseok gasped and pushed him away from her.

     "I'm so hungry," Taehyung bellowed. "Why am I so hungry?"

     Hoseok shook his head, how should he go about explaining what happened, it's not an easy thing to hear, what with all the negative thoughts that everyone has about the undead. "Well, you're..a ...zombie." Hoseok didn't feel there was a need to beat around the bush, the direct approach was best. Taehyung just looked at him wide-eyed, not believing what he was hearing. "Brains stop the craving the best, but it's only temporary, you're going to eat a lot now...and I don't mean pizza."

     Taehyung threw up again.

 

     Yoongi caught up to Meredith first, grabbing her shoulder, he spun her around to face him and slammed her against the wall, knocking the wind out of her. He grabbed her throat and she gasped, fighting against his hand as his claws went in, she wasn't as strong as he was, her fighting back was all in vain. He tore through her neck like a hot knife through butter, dropping her just as quick. Jimin came running up behind him, skidding to a halt in back of Yoongi. He looked down at Meredith, her heartbeat stopped - thump, thump, thump, then nothing. Yoongi turned around and Jimin backed up, falling over a body that was laying on the ground behind him.

     "Woh, man...wait." Jimin stuttered.

     Yoongi charged towards him, his anger boiling over, evaporating off him. Jimin was scared, he backed up until he hit the wall, scrambling to try to get to his feet, but Yoongi grabbed the back of his shirt and flung him halfway across the room, his body splitting the plaster as he hit the wall with a thud. Yoongi was on him as soon as he hit the ground, he grabbed him by the neck, his claws penetrating the skin, making him unable to turn into his werewolf form. He dragged him up the wall so that he could glare into Jimin's eyes. 

     Jimin tried as hard as he could, but he could not pry Yoongi off of him.

     "Yoongi!" Taehyung halted to a stop in the doorway and both Yoongi and Jimin looked towards him.

     "Taehyung!" Jimin choked and Yoongi dropped him, the both of them shocked that Taehyung was standing there, staring at them.

     Taehyung approached his brother, he glared at the fresh blood on Jimin's neck, shivering at the sight. "You let her kill me." A wave of bitter contempt hit him like a freight train, he was overtaken by the sudden urge to hurt his brother. "You FUCKING let her kill me."

     Jimin was unable to talk, he just sat there with his mouth agape, like he was staring at a hallucination, unable to process that his brother was hovering over him yelling. Hoseok appeared in the doorway and Yoongi exchanged glances with him, he never liked Hoseok, not for at least the last 75 years, but he had just saved Taehyung's life, even if what he saw before him was a god-damned gangly looking zombie. At least he was still alive..sort of. Yoongi blinked away his thoughts and peered down at Jimin, who was still staring at his undead brother, mouth still open into a giant 'O'.

     "Wouldn't it be such a justice if you just ate him." Yoongi laughed to himself and Jimin snapped out of his trance and looked at Yoongi like he had gone crazy. "Or you can just eat his stupid girlfriend, because let's face it, she isn't serving any other purpose." 

     Hoseok just gave Yoongi a look of distaste, shook his head and walked off. 

 

     The sudden appearance of Namjoon made Jacker turn the palest shade of white Jungkook had ever seen. Seokjin took advantage of the distraction and retrieved his daggers from the now dead asshole that had stolen them. Jacker pulled Jungkook up to stand and wrapped his arm snuggly around the boy in a near chokehold, keeping him close. Seokjin started for him, but the face that Jungkook made when Jacker tightened his arm, made Seokjin stop dead in his tracks. Instead he turned to the man pointing a gun at him and swung his dagger, slicing his neck - his finger still managed to pop off a wolfsbane filled bullet into Seokjin's chest, jolting the elder's body backward.

     Jungkook screamed out as Seokjin fell to his knees. He knew how to fight this dosage, it wasn't nearly as much as what Taehyung had injected him with earlier, but it still stung nonetheless. Jungkook struggled to break free of Jacker's hold to get to him but Jacker held on even tighter. He stopped thrashing about when Seokjin raised his head up, grinning at them as if it just tickled. 

     "What the fuck?" Jungkook gasped.

     "Not so much a weakness anymore." Seokjin wiped the saliva from his chin.

      Namjoon handed the special dagger to Seokjin. He looked down at it, gripping the pommel tightly in his hand, running his palm over the flat part of the sharpened blade, he glared at Jacker, who's face fell at the sight of it in his nemesis' hands. - it would look so much prettier rammed into Jacker's heart, Seokjin thought.

     "Time to make this a fair fight." Namjoon turned to face the rest of the men in the room, in one swoop, he conjured up a giant gust of wind, causing them all the fly back and hit the wall with such force, they died instantly. Jacker backed up, dragging Jungkook with him. Namjoon turned around, nabbed Nari and was out of the room in seconds.

     "There goes your ace in the hole," Seokjin smirked.

     Jacker knew he lost this round, now they all would want his head on a platter and he was far outnumbered. Jungkook had played him well, he actually believed for a moment that the boy was ready to give up on his lover. Seokjin stood up, he wobbled sideways, breathing in and grabbing his chest.

     "So you figured out how to fight the poison, bravo." Jacker's glare was pure evil, but it didn't faze Seokjin. "You may be able to do it..but he can't." Jacker pulled out a knife, the blade glowed a pretty blue, "Purest form of wolfsbane possible."

     "It's over, Jacker, "Seokjin warned, "You won't make it out of here alive."

     "Neither will he then," He held the knife in front of Jungkook's face, waving it around, trying to intimidate him. Jungkook struggled to break free, but Jacker held steady, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. 

     "Let him go," Seokjin growled, moving a few steps closer.

     Jacker scowled, glowering at Seokjin, "I just want you to suffer a little more."

     Without warning, he plunged the blade into Jungkook's lower back, Jungkook screamed out in torment as Jacker twisted the blade around inside him, torturing him. He knew it burned. Seokjin cringed at the sight, he couldn't handle Jungkook suffering. Jungkook felt like a hot poker had been shoved through him, this felt nothing like the wolfsbane bullet he was shot with back at the hotel not too long ago, this was straight up death.

     "I do hope you brought the antidote." Jacker laughed out. "This is going to move so fast through his body that you will need to decide what is more important, saving his life or taking mine." Jacker twisted the blade again and Jungkook cried out. Seokjin was about to rage, his face turned bright red and Jacker knew he was seconds from turning. He pushed Jungkook forward, the younger fell to his knees staring up at Seokjin, his eyes started to roll back in his head.

     "Kill him S-Seokj-" Before he could finish, Jungkook fell flat on his back and started to convulse violently.

     "Jungkook!" Seokjin bent down to him, cupping his cheeks in his hands. He tried to hold Jungkook still, but his body shaking was too intense. Jacker took off, heading towards the door, Seokjin attempted to grab his foot, but he maneuvered just out of his grip and fled from the room. Jungkook screamed out, writhing in extreme pain, going in and out of consciousness. Seokjin stuck the dagger into his belt and took Jungkook into his arms and stood, he hurried out of the room. He needed to find Taehyung.

     Yoongi saw them approaching and rushed over to take Jungkook from Seokjin and placed him on the couch. Seokjin couldn't handle this, anger he could control, he knew anger inside and out, but grief, sadness, being scared to lose Jungkook - it was too much to bear. Grief just drained him, pulled him apart at his very core. He turned towards Taehyung, frantic.  "Where is the antidote?"

     Taehyung had to think for a moment, earning himself a collar grab from Seokjin who was now in despair. "My pack, find my pack." Taehyung felt like he was about to throw up again.

     "Where is it?" Seokjin screamed, shaking him slightly. "Where's your pack?"

     "Pool room, out back." Taehyung jolted back when Seokjin let go of him.

     Seokjin ran from the room, returning moments later, fumbling with the zipper on the pack. He pulled the syringe from the plastic case and tapped it to release the bubble, he stabbed Jungkook's neck with it, expelling it all into his veins, then threw the empty syringe down and grabbed Jungkook's hand.

     "Jungkook?" Seokjin pleaded, but he didn't move, he should have moved by now.  He shook him lightly, "Jungkook, don't you fucking die on me."

     Jimin tried to crawl away while everyone's attention was on Jungkook, but Yoongi stood in front of him, blocking his escape. He looked down at Jimin as Jimin looked up at him, Yoongi drew his leg back and kicked him hard in the gut raising him several feet off the ground. Jimin grabbed his chest, wheezing, the force of Yoongi's kick had cracked several ribs. Taehyung focused his attention to the two of them, he had to deal with this now, Yoongi was pissed off and he would kill Jimin if he didn't stop him.

     "Don't you even dare," Yoongi grabbed Jimin and pulled him up to stand, hunched over in pain, Jimin struggled to breathe.

     Jungkook took a deep breath. "D-don't kill h-him." He managed to sputter out and they all looked at him.

     "Jungkook don't speak-" Seokjin tried to restrain him from sitting, but Jungkook was adamant.

     He slowly sat up, "Jimin..it wasn't Seokjin's grandfather." He coughed and grabbed Seokjin's shoulder to study himself. "It w-was Jacker, Jacker...killed your Mom."

     Jimin snapped his attention to Jungkook, wide-eyed, "No, I saw it, I saw a video." Jimin stuttered between wheezes, trying to get enough air to breath and talk.

     "You stupid fuck." Yoongi backhanded Jimin across the face and he fell to the floor, his nose gushing blood onto the tiles. He spit out a wad of blood and glared up at Yoongi, holding his hand up to stop any further blows.

     "Jacker did it, Tao laughed about it...how they manipulated you." Jungkook insisted. "T-They tricked you."

     "And you fell for it like a moron," Yoongi shouted at him like he was a bad child. "You didn't even think to question it." Yoongi kicked him in the gut again, shattering another rib, Jimin gasped for air as he felt his broken ribs move with each raspy inhale and exhale. He was sure he had a punctured lung. Taehyung just watched, numb. He wanted to stop Yoongi, but he also felt betrayed, he wanted his brother to suffer, to know what it was like to feel death.

     "Yoongi, please." Jungkook implored, "Don't."

     Yoongi glared at Jungkook, his face red with bitterness, he wanted to kill the traitor bastard. Yoongi kicked him one last time across the face, the force caused him to roll over onto his back, his lip had split open, blood trickling down his cheek. He coughed and a stream of crimson spewed from his mouth, gagging him.

     "I'm going to give you something you didn't give me."Taehyung just glared at him, he was broken inside, he wanted Jimin to suffer, but he couldn't let Yoongi kill him. "I'm going to give you a chance to walk away."

     He helped Jimin up, pushing him back against the wall. Jimin could see the mixture of hurt and hatred in his eyes, "Taehyung, I-"

     "You're dead to me Jimin, I want you to leave here and never look back, don't talk to me, don't contact me" Taehyung's chest heaved, this was killing him inside. "You get to live with what you did, you get to remember that you watched me die and didn't do a damn thing to help me." Taehyung took a deep breath, "Every time you turn around and I'm not there, you get to remember that you sided with her over your family and your pack."  Taehyung turned away from Jimin, the emotions were too much for him to continue, but he was not going to falter. "You've got no one now."

     Yoongi put his arm around him and lead him away, out the door.

     Jimin grabbed his chest, straightening up, each breath sounded like a death rattle as he struggled to get air into his lungs. He glared at Jungkook, gave him a nod of thanks and then staggered out the front door, defeated. Seokjin turned to Jungkook.

     "Where is Jacker?" Jungkook asked, getting to his feet.

     "I don't know." Seokjin didn't care at the moment, Jungkook was safe, he pulled the younger to him, taking his face into his hands, planting a kiss on the younger's lips and then leaning his forehead on Jungkook's. He never felt so much emotion all at once, it terrified him, he just wanted to melt into the younger. Jungkook wrapped his arms around Seokjin and hugged him tight, so glad to just be free of Jacker and back in Seokjin's arms.

     Hoseok strolled down the stairs, his arms full of trinkets, he stopped for a moment to smile at them and then continued on, outside. They laughed.

 

     Seokjin looked up at the house as they all piled back into the cars, Jacker had escaped for now, but Seokjin would not rest until he hunted him down. Right now, all he cared about was making sure Jungkook was okay, he just wanted to get Jungkook home and take care of him. They all needed time to heal...especially Taehyung. Seokjin knew too well what he was feeling, losing a brother wasn't easy, it was even harder when that brother wanted you dead, in both their cases, they narrowly escaped death. He and Taehyung had something in common now.

 

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	22. Noni

     NOTE: I listened to a song called 'How' by Daughter,  on loop while I wrote this chapter, really sets the mood. 

* * *

 

     The whole castle was a dark place for the last two days. When Seokjin had carried Noni's body in, everyone stood there, heads down, not moving. When he had set her body down on the table in the lab, Taehyung got chills, he had stared at her for a long while. She died so he could live, she sacrificed herself for him. How was he to process all that? He looked up at the ceiling, letting the tears roll down his face, he didn't bother to wipe them, he just closed his eyes and let them flow. He always appreciated Noni, but he felt like he took it for granted that she would always be there and kind of let her fade into the background too often. It's true what they say- you don't realize it until the person is gone and you never have the chance to tell them how special they were, how much of an impact they made in your life. Jacker took two important people from him - not to mention he was now undead himself. His mind wandered to Jimin, he didn't want to think about his brother, but the thoughts invaded his mind a little too easily. The quiet didn't help, or the pictures of him and Jimin that were displayed throughout their section of the castle, that made it worse- he didn't even want to go home. He felt an immense sadness constricting his chest, like his heart was shriveling up and he couldn't shake it off, it was too much to handle all at once. 

     Yoongi walked in carrying a cup of tea and Taehyung sat upright, wiping his face with his sleeves, trying to muster up a smile for Yoongi.

     "You don't have to be brave for me." Yoongi handed him the cup and sat down, looking at Noni's corpse. "It really hit me today when I was pouring the tea, there were no smells in the kitchen. The room was always filled with some sort of aroma..this morning, it just smelled..."

     "Empty."  They both muttered out and silently agreed.

     Taehyung snorted, halfway between a laugh and another round of tears. He looked over at Yoongi, _Thank the stars for Yoongi._ Yoongi had been his rock for the last couple days, not leaving him alone. Taehyung was grateful, alone meant he had unhealthy thoughts, dismal thoughts.

     He sipped at the tea, its bitterness made him pucker. "What is this?"

     "Brain tea, Hoseok's special blend." Yoongi made a disgusted face. "He said it would help you."

     Hoseok had decided to stay on at the castle, the new resident witch/doctor/pain in the ass. He'd already managed to piss off at least three pack members with his..eccentric tactics. Yoongi stuck around too, seemed like mostly just to help Taehyung, which was uncharacteristic of the vampire everyone always remarked was a grumpy hermit. Yoongi wasn't sure how long he would stick around, though he liked the solitude of his house away from everyone, he also missed his pack..and Seokjin, fighting alongside Seokjin felt like old times, he missed that. In the past, they had gone on many adventures together, got into a fair amount of trouble, even saved some lives. Maybe a few too many drunken nights spent in their favorite beach spot... Yoongi smiled.

     "What's so amusing?" Taehyung asked, setting the tea down.

     "Has anyone contacted Noni's son?" Yoongi shook away his thoughts, changing the subject, he was not ready to get into the whole 'I miss Seokjin' discussion.

     "No one can find him, which is a bit strange considering his job." Taehyung sighed, "Abram will be here later, I can't imagine how that's gonna go."

 

     Taehyung stood over Noni's casket, staring at her, tracing the outlines of her face in his mind. Hoseok had done an amazing job at making her look like the Noni they all remembered and not the version of her that was in the lab; the drained and wrinkly horrific reminder of what she had done for him. So many people had come to the castle today to pay their respects, she was well loved; everyone's 'mother'. Taehyung had overheard a few stories that some of the pack members reminisced about, he'd wished he knew the younger Noni, she seemed like quite the hellion.

     Seokjin followed Jungkook into the room, he had not left the younger's side since they came home. They spent the last couple days in Jungkook's room, just talking (and cuddling) while they recuperated. The elder was noticeably more affectionate with Jungkook too, stealing kisses and back-hugging him, taking him in his arms for no other reason than just to have him close. Jungkook was loving it, it felt good, especially today. Jungkook really missed Noni, she was the closest thing to a Mother he had here, watching Seokjin carry her through those doors, lifeless, really depressed him. It really depressed a lot of people.

     Jungkook stared at her in the casket as he stood next to Taehyung, shoulder to shoulder like telekinetic moral support.  Seokjin wrapped his arms around him, pulling into a warm back hug,  Jungkook reached his hands up and rested them on Seokjin's arms, then leaned his head back against his chest, he let out a soft sigh.

     "Are you okay?" Seokjin whispered in his ear, all Jungkook could do was shake his head, he wasn't okay, but he wasn't going to fall to pieces here, he wanted to be strong. "I'm here if you need to break down." 

     Jungkook was about to say something but was interrupted by the sound of Abram's voice coming down the hallway, he turned as Abram came through the doors, casting his gaze upon Noni inside the casket, he let out a loud wail that drifted throughout the castle, amplifying the sorrow and despair they all felt already.  Namjoon walked over and put his arm around him, comforting the old man, his sobs vibrating their leader's shoulder. Abram weeping was the most heartbreaking sound Jungkook had ever heard. He needed to leave, _now_ , he could not bear to be around that. He broke free from Seokjin's grip and hurried out of the room.

     Seokjin caught up to him at the graveyard, he grabbed Jungkook and pulled him into his arms, Jungkook couldn't stop the tears, he just wept into his shoulder, burying his head into the crook of Seokjin's neck. Seokjin looked up at the sky, the sun was beginning to set and the moon was already visible in the distance, it was gloomy and grey, mirroring the emotions that everybody was feeling today. He wished he could take Jungkook's pain away, he couldn't stand to see him in such anguish. Jungkook settled his eyes upon the hole that was dug off to the side of them, and the pile of dirt lying beside it, this was where Noni would be buried tomorrow morning. He slipped out of Seokjin's arms and walked over to stand at the foot of the grave, standing there a few moments just staring into it.

     "Why haven't you cried?" He asked Seokjin, then turned his head to look at him, his face wet and puffy.

     Seokjin shrugged, "I did when I found out Jacker took you." Seokjin looked down, like admitting that meant he was feeble.

     "How do you not now? You knew Noni for awhile-"

     "I don't know Jungkook, I just don't get emotional." Seokjin glanced over at him, "What is this about?"

     "Even Namjoon cried." Jungkook looked back down at the black hole below his feet, the bottom was dark and he was sure it lead straight down into hell.

     "You want me to apologize for not shedding tears?" Seokjin complained, "I don't feel...things... like normal people do."

     "You don't feel anything?" Jungkook turned to him.

     "No, not really," Seokjin admitted.

     Jungkook was trying to wrap his head around that, he knew Seokjin had liked Noni as a person, maybe even as a mother figure, so why did he not feel any sort of emotion towards what happened to her, for what she did for Taehyung? "She gave her life so Taehyung could live, that doesn't impact you at all?"

     "What do you want me to say?" Seokjin was getting irritated, "I'll miss her, but I don't need to cry over it."

     "I just don't understand that." Jungkook shrugged, turning away.

     "I think you feel enough for the both of us." Seokjin realized that came out harsher than he intended when he saw Jungkook's head snap toward him, his face twisted up into shock.

     "You think it makes me weak, don't you?"

     "What? No. I didn't mean it like that, Jesus Christ, you want to stand here and discuss my lack of emotion? You want me to apologize for not balling my eyes out because Noni is dead?"

     "Feel.. _something_." Jungkook pleaded,"Any fucking thing..."

     "I feel like this conversation isn't going in a good direction and I don't want to fight with you." Seokjin informed him, "I know I love you.. I don't need anything else." 

     Jungkook watched Seokjin walk back towards the house, he took a deep breath and exhaled. He knew he pushed too hard and he wasn't even sure why he cared so much what Seokjin felt towards others, when he, himself, felt so much. "Shit."

     Seokjin stood in the back against the door frame, listening to the pastor saying some words that were supposed to tell people Noni was going to heaven or some shit. Some empty comforting words to placate everyone and remind us all how short life is. Blah. He looked at the saddened faces of all his pack members with their heads hung, he wished he was able to feel something and not be an emotionless shell existing off of 90% hatred. He adored Noni, even just the little things she did for him, like make sure his dinner was ready by seven each night or how she always made his bed each morning. They were things he could do for himself, but he saw the joy in her face when she helped others.. She was always a jolly person, always looking after them all, selfless, never asking for anything in return. You knew she'd be in the kitchen brewing up some tea and welcoming you into the room with her scones or biscuits..or her famous chocolate chip cookies.

    Jungkook walked into the room, past Seokjin and over to sit beside his Mother, she took his hand and smiled at him, pulling his head to her bosom. All of a sudden Seokjin felt very alone. He was always a loner, but he was always happy with that life, he never wanted anything from anyone or went out of his way to get to know people, other than a spare few, like Yoongi. Jungkook completely turned that upside down, he longed to be with and around Jungkook, he let down his guard and opened up more with him, more than he had ever in his life. Maybe it was different for Jungkook since he was also 1/3 human. Maybe he was putting too much pressure on himself, or Jungkook was - the younger knew how Seokjin was, since he was around him the most, so it wasn't like this was a surprise.  He watched Nari caress Jungkook's cheeks, wiping away his tears.

     Seokjin sighed and walked out. He didn't belong there right now, not where everyone was falling apart, not when he couldn't even muster up a tear. He knew he definitely couldn't help Jungkook.

 

     The morning was unusually chilly. The wind was carrying stray leaves through the air past their heads, every so often, one would land in their hair and they'd brush it off just as quick. It seemed every cloud that ever existed had decided to block out the sun today, making the whole world a sullen grey. Seokjin and Yoongi carried the front of Noni's coffin, while Namjoon and Taehyung carried the back, towards the graveyard. No one said a word, they just marched along the grass in silence. Off in the distance, a loon cried, adding to the melancholy ambiance. Seokjin glanced back towards the castle, he could sense Jungkook's eyes on them, watching. Jungkook had opted to sleep in his mother's room last night and Seokjin spent the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

     They set the coffin on the lowering device that was set up next to the empty grave, then backed up. Namjoon pushed the button to lower it down, and they all watched as it disappeared below the earth, it was like slow motion. The last time they would all see Noni in the flesh. Sweet Noni. _The world will be a dreary place without you._

     Taehyung grabbed the shovels that were sticking out of the mound of dirt next to them, he threw one to Seokjin and they began to heave dirt down into the hole. Yoongi slipped on a pair of gloves and grabbed another shovel, walking over to help. Jungkook joined them moments later, Seokjin watched as he grabbed a shovel and stood across from him, Jungkook didn't look up, he just mindlessly scooped up the dirt and flung it into the grave.

     When they were done, they patted down the dirt and Taehyung collected the shovels. 

     "Rest in peace, Noni Imanov." Namjoon bowed to the headstone and slowly walked off.

     Hoseok bowed his head to the dirt. "You will be missed."

     Jungkook watched as Hoseok hurried to catch up with Namjoon and they both shuffled towards the castle.

     Yoongi walked over to Taehyung and put his hand on his shoulder.

     "Are you hungry?" Yoongi asked and Taehyung looked at him strange, an unnerving growl rattled about in his stomach.

     "I can smell your brains." Taehyung was so disgusted, "It's embarrassing."

     Yoongi nodded, "Come on, I know a place we can go." He turned to Jungkook and Seokjin, "You two wanna come?"

     Seokjin shook his head, staring down at the mound of earth that his shoes were sinking several inches in to. Jungkook glared at Seokjin and Yoongi felt the tension, he knew this was his clue to grab Taehyung and leave.

     Jungkook thought for a few minutes about what he wanted to say, he kicked at the patch of grass that he was standing on, like it would jumpstart his nerve. "Seokjin, I-"

     "Do you think Noni knew it would take all of her energy to bring Taehyung back?" Seokjin wondered aloud, more to himself than Jungkook.

     "What?" Jungkook moved closer, looking at his face.

     "Do you think she knew she would die?"

     "I dunno." Jungkook was flustered, he didn't know how to respond.

     "When Jacker stabbed you, all that ran through my mind was keeping you alive, I didn't give much thought to anything else." Seokjin was suddenly out of breath, as if being hit in the gut with a giant punch. "My only thought was you." Seokjin laughed to himself, a quick snicker, like he couldn't believe he was able to be selfless. He rested his hand on his chest, he felt like he was about to hyperventilate.

      "Seokjin?" Jungkook put his hand on the elder's back, suddenly worried.

     "Get Taehyung." Seokjin stumbled, everything began to spin, making him dizzy. He fell on his butt, a puff of dirt shot up into Jungkook's face and he coughed, swatting it away.  "Hurry, before he leaves the property."

     Jungkook panicked, he stood there for a few moments, trying to remember which way Taehyung went, "O-okay, hold on." Jungkook took off running.

     Seokjin laid back, looking up at the clouds overhead, twisted in a mottled silver and white pattern, the sun threatening to peek through, but not quite getting there, it was serene, he thought.  He could feel his heartbeat speed up, thumping in his chest like a chorus of drums. He knew what was happening and he didn't know if he could stop it, it took all of his will to hold the poison back for three days, not putting much thought about what would happen to him once he couldn't fight it back anymore. _Why didn't I just steal some of the_ _antidote_ _?_ He was sweating heavy and the veins in his neck began to turn black. He'd wished he and Jungkook hadn't had a fight the day before, what if he never got the chance to show Jungkook how much he loved him? When the shaking started, everything went blurry, his eyes blackened inside his sockets, he couldn't see a damn thing. Only an unsettling darkness remained.  _Is this what it's like to die?_

     Taehyung and Yoongi set Seokjin down on the lab table and Jungook followed quickly behind, wondering what the hell was going on. When they had reached Seokjin, his body was twitching wildly and his face had turned a dark shade of purple as he fought to get air into him, his windpipe was constricted as if someone was crushing it. Jungkook freaked out when Seokjin stopped breathing for a few minutes, thankfully Yoongi knew CPR, after several attempts and a lot of screaming for him to 'wake the fuck up', he revived him.

     "Stupid move Seokjin, you dumb motherfucker," Taehyung screamed, grabbing his supplies from the cabinet across the room and looking for the antidote vial. Jungkook watched as Taehyung stuck an IV into the elder's arm, then popped a solution bag onto the stand, taking the antidote and adding it to the IV line. Yoongi grabbed a blanket from the cabinet and flung it over his body, Taehyung grabbed the other side, tucking it up under Seokjin's neck. Jungkook backed up, scared.

     "What's happening to him?" He sputtered, not sure if Taehyung heard him, so he said it louder, "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HIM?"

     "He didn't fight off the wolfsbane, he just prolonged it from spreading somehow." Taehyung shook his head in disbelief. 

     "What's that mean?" Jungkook demanded, his anxiety growing by the second.

     "It means he's a wolfsbane death trap right now, ten times the lethal amount coursing through his veins," Yoongi answered.

     Taehyung took a deep breath, "Why would you do that Seokjin?" He was seething, "Why didn't you come get the antidote?"

     Jungkook looked down at Seokjin, he grabbed his hand and pulled it to his chest, a desperation building inside of him as he stood there helpless. "The antidote will work, right?"

     "I don't know Jungkook, there wasn't a lot left." Taehyung slumped against the cabinet, he felt like he was going to collapse. A ton of unanswered questions running through his mind; Why did he let Seokjin talk him into injecting him so many times? Why didn't he see the signs? How the hell did Seokjin hold this back for so long?

     "What about a blood transfusion?" Yoongi asked, "I can get anything you need."

     "He doesn't look good." Jungkook's puppy dog eyes staring up at Taehyung, pleading. "Help him."

     Taehyung grabbed Yoongi's arm and pulled him from the room, "Watch him, we'll be right back." He called back to Jungkook.

     They went down the hall and Taehyung pushed open a door and motioned with his arm, telling Yoongi to go in.

     "What?" Yoongi asked, turning to Taehyung as he shut the door.

     "It can't be human blood, I need onyx or werewolf blood," Taehyung informed him.

     "Why didn't you just tell me this in there," Yoongi asked pulling out his cell phone.

     "I don't know if this is going to help him, I'm going in blind here." Taehyung shook his head, "Not to mention I'm hungry, like really fucking hungry."

     Yoongi just looked at him, a blank expression on his face. "You want to eat him?"

     Taehyung threw up his hands, half of him wanted to help, the other half wanted Seokjin to die so he could have his meal. "Trust me, I know how sick that is."

      Yoongi walked over and grabbed Taehyung's face between his hands, "Calm down, I'll get Hoseok." Yoongi noticed Taehyung's irises were a pale ivory color now, he assumed it was a side effect of the zombie-ism.

     "Thanks," Taehyung took a deep breath, "For everything."

     "I really hope you don't start decaying." Yoongi broke away and went out into the hallway, dialing a number.

      

 

* * *

  


	23. Healing

     The lab was abuzz with zombie talk. Yoongi had summoned Hoseok for a lesson on the undead as a way to pass the time until Seokjin woke up, that and he wanted to know what to expect with Taehyung...answering with a simple 'for science' when Hoseok grilled him on why he was so interested.

     Hoseok removed one of his brown contact lenses and showed Taehyung his pale, grey iris. "It's just part of it." Hoseok shrugged and put it back in, blinking to set it in place.

     "So why don't you decay?" Yoongi asked, leaning against the counter, arms crossed, deeply fascinated.

     "Well, we're not fully human, so it's not the same." Hoseok explained, "A human zombie would die within days unless they fed, which may prolong it a few weeks, a month if they're lucky. No supernatural creature in their right mind would do that to a human, it's really not in anyone's best interest for an outbreak," He looked at Taehyung, "But for us, it saves our lives. I can't say for how long because it depends on how often you feed."

     "So he can die?" Yoongi asked, worried.

     "We're already dead," Hoseok pointed out, "It's more like withering away. I mean if he sat there for a year and didn't eat, he'd be done for." Hoseok thought for a moment, "Everything dies eventually, just like any supernatural creature."

     "Some of your kind have lived for centuries-" Yoongi seemed impressed.

     "We're harder to kill." Hoseok grinned, "A second time that is."

     Taehyung cracked his knuckles. They both glared at him. "What?"

     "So, probability of arms or legs just randomly falling off?" Yoongi smirked, but he was serious.

     "That's leprosy you're thinking of and it's a myth, lepers don't actually have limbs fall off." Hoseok informed him, "There are only a few problems I've really encountered and not even big ones, just minor annoyances."

     "Like what?" Taehyung asked.

     "Like the eyes and skin, the color does fluctuate with the skin depending on if you eat or not and what you eat...and the craving, I think that's the worse, I can smell a human brain half a mile away. Since they are the tastiest, my olfactories are finely attuned to them." Hoseok chuckled at Yoongi's appalled face. "Most of it is just trying to drone out the sound of blood flowing through the veins."  

     "I'm almost sorry I asked." Yoongi frowned.

 

     Taehyung looked over at Jungkook asleep, his head was leaning on the bed near Seokjin's arm, he looked really uncomfortable, but no one dared move him. The blood transfusion had gone well enough, Seokjin's skin was still extremely pasty, but at least the blackening of his veins disappeared, so that meant the poison was out of his system. It had been three days since the procedure and he still hadn't woken up, his only movement was an involuntary jolt when they removed the PICC line. Jungkook would not leave his side, not even when his mother came down to try to get him to go to dinner, she gave up asking because he refused to leave, so she just brought his meals down to him. Though he just picked at his food, he was too worried to eat. Taehyung made him go take a shower the second day because he was stinking up the lab and felt it was unhealthy for Seokjin, but even then it was the quickest shower he had ever taken.

     "You should just get an extra bed for him, that looks uncomfortable." Yoongi pointed out and Taehyung nodded. "Poor kid."

     "The good thing is that Jacker still thinks he's managed to become immune to wolfsbane, so not likely he would resort to using it anymore." Taehyung sighed, "Wish this whole thing was over already."

     "I need to go speak to Namjoon and find out if the council has any new information. You need me to bring you anything?" Yoongi asked.

     Taehyung shook his head, "No, I'm good."

     Yoongi nodded and walked out of the room. 

     "If he doesn't make it, I get dibs on his brains," Hoseok smirked.

     "You touch him and I'll kill you," Jungkook mumbled, lifting his head and taking in a deep breath, he shot Hoseok a dirty look.

     "Understood." Hoseok patted Taehyung on the shoulder and left.

     "Tell me again why we put up with that guy?" Jungkook stretched, making a really weird sound.

     "Closest thing I have to understanding my uh...issue right now." Taehyung walked over to Seokjin, he had just grabbed his wrist to check his pulse, when Seokjin squeezed it and pushed it away. Taehyung smiled, "Welcome back!"

     "Seokjin." Jungkook stood up to get a better look at his face, the corner of Seokjin's mouth formed into a smile, somewhat. His eyes were still closed.

     "My head hurts,"  Seokjin whispered, smacking his lips together like his mouth was dry.

     "You're lucky to be alive..what the hell is wrong with you?" Taehyung hit his arm, "You should be dead right now, but by some miracle, you managed to pull through."

     "You say that like you're disappointed," Seokjin smirked, he opened his eyes but everything was still a bit blurry, he blinked, the light was so bright, it was irritating. The second he managed to focus on Jungkook and his cute little face came into view, he forgot all about it.

     "I should kill you." Taehyung sighed, shaking his head. He walked over towards the door,  "I'll give you some alone time."

     Jungkook watched as Taehyung left the room and stared at the door for several seconds before looking back at Seokjin. 

     "You look like shit." Seokjin shielded his eyes from the light.

     "You're an asshole." Jungkook climbed up on the bed and wrapped his arms around the elder, resting his head on Seokjin's chest.

     Seokjin put his arm around Jungkook, the younger's warm body felt nice on his cold skin, he felt like somehow he turned into an ice cube while he was 'sleeping'.  Jungkook could feel him shivering and glanced up at him.

     "Do you need a blanket?" He asked, Seokjin shook his head.

     "I just need you." He turned his body to Jungkook and pulled him closer. Jungkook took off his shoe and threw it at the light switch, turning off the overhead light so that the only lumination in the room was from the cabinet light across the room. "Thanks."

     "I swear to the holy demon goddess herself that if you ever do that again, I will let Taehyung kill you." Jungkook warned.

     "I almost checked out listening to Hoseok explain to Taehyung about which creatures have the tastiest brains," Seokjin commented and Jungkook snorted.

     "I blocked them out yesterday, so no clue." Jungkook smiled. 

    Seokjin took Jungkook's hand in his, clasping fingers, he sniffed in Jungkook's hair, the younger smelt like heaven. He couldn't explain it, but Jungkook brought back a memory in his childhood when he and his brother went to the town carnival. Eric had taken him on the old time merry-go-round and Seokjin had picked out a pink, sparkly unicorn to ride, his brother had teased him and called him a wimp. The day was so clear in his mind, the way the sun bounced off the mirrored backdrop making him scrunch up his eyes, it was impossible to block it out. The smell of the ocean air and cotton candy that filled his nostrils. The taste of the food Eric had bought, he had made him try all the festival food, Seokjin had alligator for the first time that year - it was the nicest memory he had of his brother. 

 

     Seokjin was up and outside training by the end of the day, Taehyung had suggested he take a few days to make sure he was fully healed and he responded with a "noted." and was out hitting the bag ten minutes later. 

     Jungkook had come out to join him, just standing and watching for a few minutes, not saying a word. Seokjin could feel Jungkook's displeasure contaminating the air.

    "Taehyung send you out to yell at me?" Seokjin didn't stop hitting the bag.

     "No. Well, he mentioned I should smack you, but I'm out here for purely selfish reasons." Jungkook picked up the set of MMA gloves laying in the grass. Seokjin straightened up and adjusted his gloves.

     "You think you can take me yet?" Seokjin smirked.

     "Haven't I already?' Jungkook gave him the slyest of smiles. Seokjin smiled and turned away so that Jungkook didn't see him blush.

     "Kidding aside." Seokjin cleared his throat and turned back to Jungkook, "Show me what you've learned."

     "What do I get if I win?" Jungkook secured the velcro on the gloves and punched his hands together a couple of times.

     "To live?" Seokjin raised his eyebrows, waiting for Jungkook to protest.

     "Funny." Jungkook was not amused, or at least that's what he wanted the elder to believe. "But I'm serious."

     "Well don't worry about it because you're not gonna win." Seokjin grabbed a water from the gym bag and took a long drink, then offered it to Jungkook.

     The younger shook his head, suddenly determined to prove Seokjin wrong.  He needed a swift, calculated attack, so before Seokjin realized it, Jungkook had swept his feet and he was laying on the ground on his butt, Jungkook standing above him with the biggest shit eating grin he could muster. "One point, me."

     "Cocky little shit." Seokjin kicked up to flip from the ground to land in a standing position. "Catch them off guard, you remembered what I taught you." Seokjin cracked his neck and gave Jungkook an evil smirk, Jungkook would probably feel threatened if Seokjin wasn't so damn sexy when he stared at him that way.

     "You keep giving me that look and this is going to become fight porn real quick." Jungkook bit his lip.

     The sexual tension was thick and Jungkook thought Seokjin was using that to try to weaken him and it was working because Jungkook was practically in a trance and he was taken down to the ground so quick that he didn't have time to react. Seokjin straddled him and held down his arms.

     "This is not how you win." Seokjin leaned down close to his lips, Jungkook's breath hitching as he anticipated a kiss.

     "I'd say this is winning." Jungkook leaned up and placed a kiss on Seokjin's lips, then bucked up his hips, rolled Seokjin off and over and straddled him, holding down the elder's hands. "But then again I do love to be on top." Jungkook teased.

     "You going to fuck Jacker too when you're fighting him?" Seokjin frowned.

     "Aww, don't be a baby." Jungkook leaned up, letting Seokjin have use of his arms back, but still stayed straddled across his lap. Seokjin clasped his hands together under his head, leaning his head on his arms, he looked at Jungkook as if studying him.

     "It might work, he does seem to have a soft spot for you." Seokjin concluded.

     Jungkook just gave him a look that said he was going to die if he didn't knock it off. He stood up and backed up a few feet, motioning to Seokjin to come at him. Seokjin rolled over to stand and while in mid-motion, he noticed Jungkook was coming towards him, Seokjin kicked up and hit Jungkook square in the face, causing the younger to jolt backward, holding his lip.

     "Fuuuuck." Jungkook screamed out. "That fucking hurt."

     "Did you expect me to go easy on you?" Seokjin questioned, shrugging.

     "Back to business." Jungkook spat out some blood onto the grass and took a breath. He held his hands back up in fighting stance and they circled each other a few times, Seokjin taking a few jabs and Jungkook ducked each of them. Jungkook took a swipe at Seokjin's face, but he grabbed the younger's hand and elbowed him in the mouth. That pissed Jungkook off, he pushed Seokjin back, glaring at him through a lovely shade of yellow that suggested he might turn into his werewolf hybrid self.

     "Someone getting mad?" Seokjin asked, the tone in his voice made Jungkook want to kick his ass even more.

     "Fuck off." Jungkook took several more swipes at Seokjin who successfully blocked each of them and countered with an attack of his own. Seokjin's last move was a rather nasty kick to Jungkook's abdomen that made him double over in pain, cursing the elder's very existence. Seokjin felt a pang of remorse, he didn't want to hurt him, but he couldn't go easy on him either. Jacker would not be merciful.

     "Use it Jungkook, use the anger you're feeling right now." Seokjin ordered. 

     Jungkook's claws came out, he was livid, every ounce of him wanting to beat Seokjin, just once he wanted to best him. He took a swipe at Seokjin's chest, just missing as Seokjin flinched and backed up. Jungkook took the moment to strike with several more attempts, every effort thwarted by the elder. Jungkook yelled out in frustration.

     "Channel it."  Seokjin growled, "You're being sloppy, you're letting it control you." 

     Jungkook felt like the older was patronizing him, why couldn't he just get in one hit? Why was Seokjin so much better at this than he was? He felt like he was about to snap as he stared at Seokjin just standing there with his hands on his hips, as if mocking him. _Concentrate. Everyone has a weak spot_. He honed in on Seokjin's heartbeat, listening to his breathing, focusing on Seokjin's eyes for any indication of his next strike.

     "Anticipate where the attack is coming from and stop it." Seokjin reminded him, drilling it into his brain like an overbearing teacher.

     Seokjin came at him swinging, Jungkook blocked a few but the last one caught him on the side of his head, knocking him to the ground, he landed on all fours, glaring up at Seokjin who was staring back at him, Jungkook snapped, every spare inch of his face was contorted with rage. He tackled Seokjin to the ground in one sudden motion, the elder hit the ground hard, his body bounced off the earth and he yelled out in a giant huff, Jungkook straddled his lap, laying down a wrath of fury. He swung and hit Seokjin several times in his face, Seokjin held up his arms to block the last few blows, reaching up to grab Jungkook's arms, trying to secure Jungkook from hitting him even more. Jungkook ripped one of his arms from Seokjin's grasp and hit him square in the cheek, Seokjin's head flew to the side from the impact, blood spurting out of the fresh cut that now marked his face.

     Seokjin lost control, he couldn't stop himself the moment his eyes changed, he went for straight for Jungkook's neck, squeezing it with his clawed hand, he pushed the younger off him and slammed him on the ground, full force. He held Jungkook down, his eyes as black as coal, a burning vengeance in his bones. Jungkook struggled to break free, but the pressure on his neck was making him choke, Seokjin's fully extended claws digging in, drawing blood. Seokjin did not remember being pulled off of Jungkook or how Namjoon had gotten on top of him, rendering him unable to move, but as he stared up at their leader's face, his anger began to subside. Jungkook coughed, nearly throwing up.

     "Seokjin!" Namjoon yelled at him. Jungkook had sudden deja vu, brought back to that day at the castle when Namjoon had to restrain him then too. "Seokjin, calm down." Namjoon's voice was firm and it seemed to calm Seokjin down, his eyes returning to their normal brown color.

     "So much for control." Jungkook stood, looking down at Seokjin, angry. "Asshole." He took off his gloves and threw them down, wiping the stream of blood that ran down his neck. He then turned around and started walking back towards the castle.

 

     Seokjin was leaning his head on the kitchen table, staring blankly at the floor. He was mad at himself, he had yelled at Jungkook to control his anger and then he goes and nearly kills him. He hadn't seen Jungkook since the incident and he knew that the younger was avoiding him, Seokjin couldn't blame him.

     He saw a pair of socked feet enter the kitchen and walk towards him, he heard the chair next to him being pulled out and someone sit down at the table. He didn't bother to raise his head, he knew it was Jungkook. The table shook slightly and then the sound of an apple being bit into filled his ears.

     "Feeling pretty shitty about yourself?" Jungkook leaned back in the chair. Seokjin didn't say a word. "I'm not mad." Jungkook assured him, shrugging. "Disappointed maybe."

     Seokjin closed his eyes, regretting everything that happened earlier. Jungkook figured Seokjin was punishing himself enough that he didn't need to make him feel any worse.

     "When you're done hating on yourself, I'll be in my room." Jungkook stood. "I find it hard to sleep now if you're not there." He put his hand on Seokjin's shoulder for a moment then walked from the room. Seokjin sat upright, he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Jungkook was the last person he'd ever want to hurt, and he shuddered to think what could have happened if Namjoon hadn't tore him off the younger when he had.

     When he reached the top of the stairs, standing next to the door of Jungkook's room was Nari, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. He stopped short and she looked over at him. He knew she was about to give him a bunch of grief about what happened.

     "Jungkook told me not to say anything, you both got pretty mad." Nari spoke softly, walking towards him. Seokjin looked down at the ground. "Don't make me regret approving of your bond." She lifted his head. He was shocked that she touched him and he backed away, looking up at her, jaws clenched. She just smiled, unfazed. "I know the issues, I've been there. Just don't hurt him again."

     Seokjin watched as she headed down the hallway and disappeared into her room. He rubbed the back of his neck, all the stress and guilt of the last few hours made him tense. He leaned his head against the door, making a loud thump. A few moments later, Jungkook opened the door and he stumbled inside, catching himself before he fell.

     "Did I just hear my Mom threatening you?" Jungkook smirked.

     Seokjin was not smiling, he looked at Jungkook like he was having an internal war of right and wrong playing out in his head. "I'm sorry." His voice resonating with embarrassment and regret.

     Jungkook felt instant sorrow looking into the elder's eyes, he knew Seokjin felt horrible for what happened and he knew if he hadn't lost control himself, that Seokjin probably wouldn't have either. He just wanted to take Seokjin into his arms and hold him, but he knew he had to say something encouraging. He was no good with words during such times. "Okay listen, I know it sucked and we both did things to each other that was stupid, but I'm not going to dwell on it-"

     "You're the last person I'd ever want to hurt." Seokjin sighed, his expression glum.

     "I know." Jungkook held out his hand, Seokjin looked down at it, feeling unworthy of being able to touch the younger. Jungkook reached over, grabbed his hand, and pulled him over to the bed, pushing him to sit. He climbed in back of him, leaning against the headboard, he pulled Seokjin back and gently rubbed his shoulders. Seokjin kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the bed, leaning against Jungkook's chest with his back, Jungkook wrapped his arms around him.

     "Why aren't you pissed off at me?" Seokjin asked him, leaning his head to look up at his face.

     "I was at first, but I also wanted to kill you for a small moment there too." Jungkook admitted. "I'm pretty sure you're being hard enough on yourself for the both of us right now."

     Seokjin nodded and leaned back again, looking up at the ceiling. "I know I fucked up."

     "I have to look at it like this, if you can get that mad at me and you actually love me, then Jacker has no chance in hell." Jungkook reasoned.

     Seokjin humphed an agreeing snicker. "No doubt."

     "Just concentrate on channeling that shit on Jacker." Jungkook warned.

     Seokjin reached up and grabbed Jungkook's hand, playing with his fingers. "I love you Jungkook, more than you'll ever know."

     Jungkook kissed the back of Seokjin's head. "Same." He smiled.

     Seokjin quickly fell asleep against Jungkook's chest, Jungkook playing with his hair. His back was starting to hurt against the hard headboard, so he repositioned them both so they were spooning under the covers, Jungkook being the big spoon for once.

     "I love you too." Jungkook whispered and closed his eyes, snuggling his head into the crook of Seokjin's neck."Sweet dreams."

     

     

     

 


	24. Sister

     Seokjin was sitting on Jungkook's bed, playing with the dagger, which he termed 'The Jacker Dagger'.  He twirled it around in his hand, his mind on the many ways he could use it to send Jacker back to hell. Across the room, Jungkook was sitting on the floor, head buried in a stack of books, various titles about creatures and lore and habitats strewn about. They both felt like sitting around doing nothing was a huge waste, so they split their time this last week between training, reading and contemplating, Seokjin called it strategizing. Jungkook looked over at him a few times, but Seokjin was so deep in thought, he didn't even notice. He watched Seokjin go through motions of dagger fighting with an imaginary target, he didn't think Seokjin even realized he was doing it, he let out a small chuckle and Seokjin looked over at him.

     "Sorry." Jungkook smiled and then went back to his books. 

     Seokjin stared at the younger for a good five minutes, noticing his hair was still a mess from sleeping, noticing how he would stop every so often to launch his pen in the air like a rocket ship, clicking the button up and down so the tip would come in and out, whoosh - in the air it would go and Jungkook would try to catch it before it hit the ground. He noticed that Jungkook liked to fidget, and wondered if he was even reading at all.  Things like this would annoy the shit out of him if it were anyone else, by now he would have stood up, walked over and grabbed the pen, breaking it in half in front of the person and giving them a look that would send most people scurrying away like a scared animal. _Curse this soft spot, you're like a huge ball of fluff now, Seokjin._ Seokjin may have a hard as nails exterior, but when it came to Jungkook - he was the human embodiment of rainbows and pink hearts, Jungkook was definitely his weak spot.

     "What's that look for?" Jungkook looked up from his book on Demon anatomy, which he had been 'glancing' at for at least an hour.

     "You have made me fluffy," Seokjin smirked.

     Jungkook laughed, "Fluffy, huh? Why's that?"

     "You could hum the entire of track list of Grease while tap dancing and shooting off fireworks and you still wouldn't annoy me.." Seokjin grinned. "Fluff."

     "I don't know if I should be scared or impressed by that." Jungkook sat up and stretched, Seokjin noticing how muscular the younger had gotten.

     "Well if it was Taehyung right now, he would have been thrown through that window." Seokjin put the dagger in its sheath on his belt and stood, he walked over and grabbed Jungkook's hand and pulled him up.

     "I have studying to do, what are you doin-" before Jungkook could finish, Seokjin had pulled him in for a kiss, shutting him up with a small bite on his bottom lip. Chills. All up Jungkook's spine. He had to take a deep breath. "Woh."

     Seokjin was about to go in for another one, when a knock sounded on the door, followed by Taehyung walking in, carrying his laptop. "What is the point of knocking if you're just going to walk in?"

     "Didn't think you'd want to miss this." Taehyung set the laptop on the bed. "Unless you want me to leave?"

     Seokjin saw Abram's living room wall in view on a skype call. "What's going on?"

     "I set Abram up with Skype." Taehyung adjusted the screen.

     "Obviously, I mean why are you bringing him in Jungkook's room?" Seokjin asked, raising his brows.

     "He has something, I'll let him explain." Taehyung looked back at the screen, "Abram, can you hear me?"

     Abram appeared on the screen, popping up from under his table, slamming some books onto the top. "Ah, there you are." He smiled, but it wasn't the same warm smile Seokjin remembered, Noni's death took away his glow. Jungkook kneeled down by Taehyung. "I have been talking to Madame Kimura, she went back into hiding again, changed her name, poor thing is scared out of her mind." Abram started, then opened a book, settling on a page. "She wanted me to commend you on getting her riddle, Jungkook, she was very impressed."

     Jungkook grinned and mentally patted himself on the back. "It was very clever," Jungkook commented.

     "Jacker did not account for her escaping, he disclosed some valuable information to her, stuff I suspect he doesn't want anyone to know." Abram adjusted his computer screen and then held up a picture in a book to the webcam, "Jacker has a half-sister." Seokjin moved Taehyung aside and kneeled down in front of the computer screen to get a closer look.

     "Excuse me," Taehyung said bitterly, adjusting his beanie. 

     "I've seen her at the fights." Seokjin smiled, he knew exactly who she was. "I know what pack she runs with."

     "Who is she?" Jungkook asked, looking at Seokjin, "Is she dangerous?"

     "Destra." Seokjin and Abram said in unison. 

     "Destra is Jacker's sister?" Taehyung was shocked. "How did no one know this?"

     "Jacker's heritage is a partial mystery, other than his being related to the ex-pack leader, not much is known about his mother," Abram informed them. "I would assume that Destra is either hiding him or knows where he is."

     "The fights are scheduled for this Friday-" Seokjin smiled, "This is good news."

     "You think she'll be there?" Jungkook asked.

     "I would bet the castle on it." Seokjin stood and paced the floors, anticipation and excitement now settled on his face.

      "Thanks, Abram." Taehyung bowed his head.

     "Taehyung, one other thing." Abram looked somber, "Madame Kimura mentioned your brother."

     Taehyung's face fell, a loathing seriousness took over, "Jimin?" He questioned, "What about him?"

     "Jacker has a hit on him." Abram sighed, "He's a liability with a chip on his shoulder now."

     "I don't have a brother." Taehyung looked away, "Anything else?"

     Abram shook his head, "That's all for now."

     "Thanks." Taehyung ended the call. He noticed Jungkook staring at him, "Problem?"

     "You're just gonna let him die?" Jungkook asked.

     "He just let me die." Taehyung could not control the contempt in his voice.

     "You're better than that." Jungkook reasoned, he knew Taehyung was torn up inside over this, maybe a fresh start would help to mend things.

     "You don't have any siblings, you don't understand what breaking a family bond is like." Taehyung spat, "You don't just forget that kind of betrayal."

     "He was brainwashed, he thought the wrong person killed your mother-" Jungkook put his hand on Taehyung's shoulder and squeezed.

     "Then he should have trusted me enough to tell me," Tears welled up in Taehyung's eyes, "He should have stopped Meredith before she took my life."

     "Tae-" Jungkook started, but Seokjin grabbed Jungkook's shoulder, shaking his head to tell him not to push. Jungkook let go of Taehyung and looked down at the ground.

     "He understands," Taehyung stared at Seokjin for a few moments before grabbing his laptop and rushing out.

     "Jimin made his choice when he let Taehyung die. He could have stopped her." Seokjin frowned as if reliving his own turmoil. "You don't just get over something like that."

     "So if it was your brother, you would just let Jacker kill him-" Jungkook asked.

     "I would kill him myself." Seokjin clenched his jaw, "I'm gonna go workout, you coming?"

     "Nah, maybe later." Jungkook went back over to his stack of books and sat back down. Seokjin knew he probably just disappointed Jungkook with his answer, but he had more to worry about at the moment, like brushing up on some fighting skills if he was going to the fight this Friday.

 

     Jungkook was sitting at the kitchen table picking at his food, nothing tasted the same without Noni there to cook it. He glanced up at the clock, it was already ten after seven, usually Seokjin was a robot when it came to staying on his eating schedule. He figured the older must have just lost track of time and wondered if he should bring him a plate of food.

     Seokjin was sparring with Yoongi in the exercise room when Jungkook came through the door. He slowly shuffled over to the bench, watching them. They both stopped to glance over at him and Jungkook held up the plate for Seokjin to see then set it on the bench and sat down. Yoongi was quite good for a small guy, Jungkook thought. He wondered if he would be able to take Yoongi in a fight or how much practice it would take to be able to do so, seeing him 'touch' Seokjin kind of made Jungkook want to fight him, the more he watched, the more the feeling grew.

     Seokjin could feel the heat coming off of Jungkook, the younger was peeved and staring daggers at Yoongi, he knew he had to disarm this little ticking time bomb or Jungkook could get hurt by foolishly picking a fight with the skilled vampire. "You want to fight this Friday?" Seokjin asked him and he snapped his eyes to Seokjin.

     "What?" Jungkook was sure he heard wrong.

     "Fight. This Friday. You." Seokjin smirked.

     "Are you serious?" Jungkook stood, a new wave of excitement washed over him.

     "Yeah, you're old enough to enter." Seokjin threw him a pair of gloves. "Work off some of that rage."

     "What rage?" Jungkook slipped on one of the gloves.

     "Jealousy is oozing from you." Yoongi walked over to grab a water.

     "Jealous of what?" Jungkook asked, and both of them gave him a 'really?' look. "I'm not jealous." He was jealous, especially knowing their history.

     "Don't worry kid, he's not my type." Yoongi threw the water to Seokjin.

     "I'm not worried." He put on his other glove, now annoyed. "Can we just get on with this."

     Yoongi stood in front of him, "Let's see what you got."  They went to the middle of the mat and banged gloves.

     "I've never fought a vampire before." Jungkook warned him, "Be gentle."

     "Vampires are faster, we move quicker than you do, so you need to anticipate where I will be coming from." Yoongi demonstrated by moving from in front of him to behind him, almost in the blink of an eye.

     "What the fuck?" Jungkook turned around, "How?"

     Yoongi smirked, "But you're stronger, so if you hit me, I will probably cry." He joked.

     Jungkook smiled, "So basically I should just treat every enemy like a vampire."

     Seokjin smiled proudly. "Yes, but anticipating moves takes practice and a keen sense of observation, plus everyone has their own fight style."

     Jungkook liked to think he was a quick learner when it came to fighting, like he had an instinct, not as much as Seokjin, and he knew he wasn't as tough, but at least he wasn't hopeless. He also thought Yoongi was going a little too easy on him. "I'm not gonna break, don't go easy on me." He beckoned, "Easy isn't going to win a fight."

     Yoongi looked at Seokjin and Seokjin nodded. "Okay." Yoongi opened up a bit, throwing some jabs that Jungkook easily ducked, then moving a bit faster to see if Jungkook could anticipate where he would be striking from. At first, Yoongi had bopped him upside the head a few times, making him mad. It also made him concentrate. He figured out Yoongi liked to circle him to try to catch him off guard before he'd go in for a hit. So when Yoongi tried it again, Jungkook grabbed him by the neck and slammed him down on the mat, placing his knee against his chest, so that he couldn't move.

     "Jesus kid." Yoongi pushed the younger's knee off of him and Jungkook helped him up. 

     "Was that good?" Jungkook asked, looking to Seokjin and then back at Yoongi.

     "You keep doing shit like that and you'll win your first fight." Yoongi walked over and grabbed the water, uncapping it. "And that kind of hurt." Yoongi took a long swig of water. Jungkook smirked.

     "I think we should call it a night." Seokjin looked at Yoongi and he nodded in agreement. "I have to do rounds anyway."

     "Yeah, catch you tomorrow." Yoongi waved as he walked out.

     "Rounds?" Jungkook asked, taking off his gloves. 

     "Namjoon figures Jacker doesn't have much to lose at this point." Seokjin took off his gloves. "Figures he might get sloppy and try something."

     "Can I come?" Jungkook walked over to him, grabbing the bottle of water on the bench.

     "Yeah, sure." Seokjin grabbed the bottle from Jungkook just as he was about to take a sip, squirting him with some water in the process. He then took a long drink, making slurping noises to tease the younger.

     "Ass." Jungkook smacked his arm and grabbed the water bottle back.

  

      Jungkook pinned Seokjin up against the wall of the mausoleum, overtaken by the sudden urge to strip Seokjin down and make him howl. Seokjin was stunned by the sudden aggression, but he allowed himself to let loose and enjoy Jungkook's hands exploring his body. The moment their lips touched, a shock went straight down his spine, it was pure electric. Jungkook turned Seokjin's face to the side exposing his neck, he kissed it gently at first, running his tongue along Seokjin's smooth skin, tasting him. Then he began to suck, leaving a purple bruise just under his ear, his tender spot. Seokjin let out a moan and Jungkook smiled, it was like fuel to a fire, those moans made Jungkook even more lascivious. Jungkook grinding up against him made it apparent where this night was headed.

     "Do you want me?" Jungkook teased, gently sucking the tip of his earlobe.

     "Y-yes." Seokjin bit his lip, his heart threatened to break free of his chest, it was beating so fast.

     The younger was so rough, so uninhibited, it made Seokjin weak. A warm tingling sensation settled in his mid region, enticed by the lewd thoughts that ran through his mind. Jungkook's hand settled on Seokjin's belt buckle, undoing it, then the button on his pants, all the while Jungkook's tongue was exploring the inside of his mouth.

     Seokjin focused his eyes on the moon above, the clouds tried to hide it, but the bright light shone down on him and he realized, it was full. They looked at each other, lust gleaming behind both their eyes. Jungkook ripped open Seokjin's shirt, the buttons flew off and hit the side of the wall, _Pit. Pat. Ping._

     "That was a new shirt," Seokjin growled, but he wasn't mad.

     "I'll buy you a new one." Jungkook slipped his hand over Seokjin's ass cheek and squeezed, making the elder's legs go weak for a moment.

     Seokjin slid Jungkook's shirt off, letting it fall to the ground. Jungkook pulled him in, kissing him, running his fingernails up Seokjin's back, leaving long defined claw marks on his skin. Seokjin winced at the touch, but it turned him on so much, he didn't even notice the pain.

     "Jungkook, we should go back to the-" Seokjin couldn't finish the sentence, Jungkook had reached his hand down his pants and was now gripping his manhood, he closed his eyes. "...Castle."

     "Shut up." Jungkook hissed and dragged him over to the steps and pushed him down, "Tonight we're doing this my way." Jungkook looked ravenous, Seokjin felt weak just looking at him, Jungkook was so fucking hot.

 

     Taehyung was collecting some holy thistle in the castle garden, when he heard two distinct howls off in the distance, he smirked. _Animals in heat, those two._ He wiped the sweat from his brow as he reached his hand down to grab the plant by its stem, he had spotted two giant spiders tonight and he was about ready to scream if another were to suddenly pop up. This used to be his brother's job. Jimin had this strange fascination with the spiders, like they somehow understood each other, and for that reason, Jimin didn't mind collecting the herbs and plants. He pocketed the plant and stood, noticing a blur speed past him and disappear behind a tree.

     "You're not sneaky Yoongi," Taehyung called out.

     "I wasn't trying to be." Yoongi called back, "I just had to take a piss."

     Taehyung laughed, "Bathrooms too advanced for you?" 

     Taehyung bent down to check the Acacia, making a mental note to spray it down with some pesticide, seemed a colony of aphids had moved into his garden, hosting a veritable all you can eat salad 'bug'fet. 

     Yoongi sauntered up behind him, curious. "Why are you lurking in the garden?" He asked, looking over Taehyung's shoulder to see what he was staring at so intently...

     "Replenishing the supplies." Taehyung stood back up, "This used to be Jimin's job."

     "So was that you I heard scream a few minutes ago?" Yoongi laughed.

     "I hate spiders." Taehyung looked over at Yoongi, "Why are _you_ lurking in the garden?"

     "I made the mistake of telling Hoseok I knew where a den of mice were hiding." Yoongi sat on the low garden wall.

     "Why does he want mice?" Taehyung seemed confused.

     "If I tell you, you would probably wish Hoseok didn't bring you back." Yoongi shuddered.

     "Is this a zombie thing?" Taehyung groaned, "No, don't answer that."

     Yoongi sighed, "The graveyard is occupied at the moment, so I have to wait." 

     "Send Hoseok to get his own mice next time." Taehyung leaned against the wall next to him.

     Yoongi looked up at the full moon, it's light was almost blinding. "Do you ever change?"

     "Into a werewolf?" He asked and Yoongi nodded, "Not really." Taehyung stared off into the distance. "I don't like it."

     "You're not much of a fighter, are you?" 

     "No, I prefer to use my brain." Taehyung smirked, "Not that I have been doing much of that lately." 

     "I suspect the circumstances have been difficult." Yoongi pointed out. "Don't fret, I got your back."

     Taehyung looked over at him, he was grateful for Yoongi looking after him, but he had to wonder why, Yoongi wasn't exactly known for being gracious. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

     Yoongi stood and patted Taehyung on the back, smirking. "For the record, spiders don't bother me either."

     Taehyung watched Yoongi walk off, he smiled to himself, he wasn't going to complain about the attention. He felt a strange tug on his pant leg and looked down, crawling upwards towards his thigh was a grotesque eight-legged freak that he would later swear was at least 6 feet tall, "Aghhhh." He shook it off, giving the poor thing a heart attack. "God-damned spiders!"

 

     

* * *

Thanks to all for sticking this far with me and thank you for taking the time to comment - it is greatly appreciated and keeps me going <3     

FUN FACT: The thing Jungkook was doing with his pen was put in because...I was doing it at the time lol


	25. Fight Night

    Taehyung sat on the bench in the exercise room, he could hear the sounds of huffing and skin being punched around him, but his mind was focused on what Abram had told him last night, _there is a hit on Jimin_. His mind wandered back to when they were kids - Taehyung was the mousey boy with his head in the books, he was a prime target for bullying because he hated conflict and he never fought back. Jimin always stuck up for him, back when they went to a normal school, back when they couldn't let on that they were werewolf children. Most werewolves didn't have much power at that young an age, but Jimin was tough. Jimin always took a hit for him.

     Taehyung was staring out the window at the grounds, to the garden just beyond. When they first came to the castle, he was in awe of the gardens, the flowers and plants and the herbs that Noni grew in it, it quickly became his favorite place to hang out. He would come down here to listen to Noni explain what each one of them did and how they could be used in magic potions and spells. She had taught him a few easy spells, that people who weren't witches, could do. She also taught him what plants would harm various creatures and which could be used for healing. Taehyung was 19 (in human years) when he was bitten by his first spider, and since that day Jimin would come down and help him pick the plants, talking to the spiders like they were kindred spirits. _Jimin._

     "Taehyung?" Jungkook waved his hand in front of Taehyung's face, he snapped back to reality and looked up at Jungkook.

     "What?" Taehyung cleared his throat and sat upright.

     "You okay?" Jungkook sat down, wiping sweat from his forehead, fanning himself.

     "Yeah, why?" Taehyung glanced back out at the gardens.

     "You keep staring out at the garden." Jungkook looked to see what was so interesting about a bunch of plants.

     "Just thinking." He took a deep breath and turned back to the scene in front of him - Yoongi and Seokjin sparring on the mat. "I think I should be asking you if you're okay," Taehyung noticed Jungkook's glare focused upon Yoongi. "Jesus, you're tense as fuck."

     "Why do you all keep saying that?" Jungkook looked ready to burst.

     "Oh well, it's nothing to do with your face right now, I'm sure." Taehyung affirmed. "You're fucking jealous which is fucking weird after what you two did in the cemetery last night."

     Jungkook looked at him confused. "What?"

     "I'm sure the howls were heard 'round the world." Taehyung smirked.

     Jungkook scrunched up his face embarrassed, last night was pretty..erotic. "Why would I be jealous?" Jungkook protested.

     "I don't know, it's not like they're doing anything other than beating each other up." Taehyung glanced over, "But then again, looks like something they both would be turned on by."

     Jungkook frowned, "Is this helping me?"

     "They had a drunken night a long time ago, why would you be jealous, indeed." Taehyung made his point.

     "I just suddenly want to pound his stupid little face in." Jungkook whined. Taehyung snorted.

     "First, Yoongi would kill you and second.." Taehyung thought for a moment, "No, there is no second, he would just kill you."

     Jungkook frowned again. He looked away, trying to think of something else to talk about. "Sooo, who is this Destra girl anyway?"

     "Just your standard Olympic grade fighter, trained in like 5 different fighting styles..and has a very bad temper." Taehyung shuddered, as if remembering an incident.

     "Has Seokjin fought her?" Jungkook asked.

     "He would kill her, you've seen him fight." Taehyung felt like Jungkook should know that.

     "Okay?" Jungkook snapped. "What is with you today?"

     Taehyung grimaced, watching as Jungkook went back over to the mat.   _What is wrong with me?_ What was wrong was he couldn't get Jimin out of his head, as much as he hated to admit it, he missed him.

     

      No one had seen Namjoon the last few days, usually, Noni knew where he was in cases of emergencies, but since she was gone, Namjoon didn't really talk to anyone, let alone divulge his whereabouts. Jungkook knocked on his office door two days in a row, and both days, only silence. He sighed and walked away, determined to scour the kitchen cabinets for something to eat, the rumble in his stomach was beyond sounding like a hungry monster had moved in.

      Hoseok was in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot that looked like putrefied organs and smelled twice as bad. Jungkook really missed Noni and her amazing cooking, each day he was getting more afraid to come into the kitchen. Hoseok's house or horrors menu was disturbing, at best, most days.

     "You!" Hoseok beckoned him, waving his hand at Jungkook. "Come here."

     "What?" Jungkook walked over, a wave of the contents in the pot hit his nose and he felt like he was going to throw up. "What the hell...is that?" Jungkook pinched his nose closed, feeling Hoseok grab his other hand and then a sharp pain, he attempted to draw his hand back, when he felt Hoseok squeeze it. He swooshed away the steam in time to see Hoseok was adding the blood, from the fresh slit across his palm, to the pot.

     "Good, thanks." Hoseok let go of Jungkook's hand and Jungkook drew it up to his body, covering it with his good hand.

     "You dick." Jungkook whined, "Why did you do that?"

     "Werewolf blood, just a pinch." Hoseok set the lid on the pot and smiled at him like he just didn't do the weirdest thing ever. Jungkook's blank expression made him chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't think you would volunteer."

     Jungkook shook his head, this guy was messed up in the head, "Zombie rot."

     "Do you want something to eat?" Hoseok asked, going to the sink to wash his hands.

     "Not that shit." Jungkook made a disgusted face.

     "Well of course not, it would probably kill you." Hoseok grumbled. "How about hamburgers, rare?"

     "I've lost my appetite." Jungkook gagged, he grabbed a soda from the fridge and walked out of the room.

 

     The fight night arena was crowded, noisy, and reeked of blood and sweat, much worse than the last time Jungkook had been to this place. Then again, this time he would be fighting, so it could have been his nerves. It seemed like all his senses were heightened, even the hairs on his arms were picking up vibrations from the audience as the three of them headed towards the back where the locker rooms were located. All eyes trained upon them as if they were superstars, Jungkook felt like he was going to burst. Seokjin and Yoongi walked like they owned the place, unfazed by anything, even the boos that some people were throwing their way.

     The locker room was smaller than he pictured in his head, there were only six others present, all off to the side doing various pre-fight rituals, like hand wraps. The fight card was pretty stacked, so he knew this couldn't be everyone and imagined there were other locker rooms elsewhere. He wondered where his opponent was, his eyes darting nervously to each of the people here. Mentally, he was sizing them up, figuring he could take at least three of them in a fight.

     He let out a loud breath as he set his bag down on the bench next to Seokjin's, the elder gave him a look telling him everything would be okay. Jungkook could only nod as he sat, grabbing his gloves from his bag and setting them down on the bench. Seokjin grabbed the wraps and kneeled down in front of him, positioning Jungkook's hand so they extended out in front of him. He began to wrap them, glancing up every so often to look at the younger. Jungkook kept taking in deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

     "Relax." Seokjin grabbed both of his hands to stop the shaking. "You're gonna do fine." 

      "Then why do I feel like I'm going to throw up?" Jungkook yelled over the noise around him. Seokjin smiled.

     "Nerves. It's normal." Seokjin assured the younger and he half-smiled back at Seokjin. 

     Seokjin finished wrapping Jungkook's hands and then fit the gloves over top, securing the velcro. They felt tight, but perfect. 

     "Just remember, block and duck." Seokjin smiled, placing both hands on Jungkook's shoulder, he squeezed. Jungkook nodded, he was feeling restless and started to pace in front of the bench. Seokjin sat down and handed his wraps to Yoongi.

     "Remember our first time here?" Yoongi laughed, and Seokjin looked over at Jungkook.

      "I wasn't that bad." Seokjin focused his attention back to Yoongi, "Right?"

     "No, you were unnaturally calm, I thought you were drugged." Yoongi nodded, "His reaction is normal. You're just a psycho."

     Seokjin smirked, "His fight is second, mine is third. When's yours?" 

     "Last one, so I have time." Yoongi grabbed Seokjin's gloves and slipped them on his hands over the wraps. "Good?" He asked, securing the velcro.

     Seokjin smacked the gloves together and nodded. "Yeah."

     Jungkook continued to pace, like he was determined to wear a groove into the floor that could swallow him up. Seokjin rose from the bench and grabbed ahold of the younger's waist, stopping him, Jungkook stared up at him. 

     "I love you." Seokjin mouthed the words and Jungkook smiled, inhaling another large breath. "You ready?"

     Jungkook nodded, he couldn't talk, nothing seemed to come out, it was probably for the best, he felt like if he opened his mouth, he would puke.

     "Kick some ass." Yoongi cheered him on, not bothering to look up from his phone.

     Seokjin walked Jungkook over to the area where the fighters stood to wait for their fight, right next to the bleachers where the fans were. The first fight had just ended, as they drug the loser off the floor - the crowd roared. Jungkook closed his eyes, taking in one last deep breath. His name was called and he opened his eyes. _Focus, you got this_. He looked up at Seokjin who nodded at him.

     "You got this." Seokjin assured him, patting him on the shoulders.

     Jungkook trudged out onto the floor, his knees felt wobbly, he hoped he wouldn't pass out now. How embarrassing would it be to lose your first fight because you passed out before it even started? When he got to the edge of the mat, the announcer checked his gloves and asked him if he was ready, he wasn't - but he wasn't about to run off the mat and disappoint Seokjin. He looked across the floor at his opponent, who looked as young and nervous as he was. He nodded.

     Internally, Jungkook knew he could beat this kid, no doubt. He just needed to focus, forget everything else and see only his opponent. His adrenaline kicked in the moment they announced who was fighting, when he heard his name and the crowd started cheering, an instant calm washed over him like he did this sort of thing every day. He cracked his neck and looked down at the floor, then up at the ceiling as if thanking the devil and the gods for what was about to happen. He smirked and looked back at his opponent, a sudden seriousness overtook him, his expression turned vicious. Chills ran through Seokjin's body, watching Jungkook on the mat ready to lay down some hurt, he was reminded of himself and he smiled.

     The bell rang and Jungkook touched gloves with the other guy, then put his hands up, ready to kick ass. They circled each other a few times before the kid made the first move, swinging full force at him. Jungkook ducked and countered with a right hook to the kid's cheek, sending him backward startled. Jungkook snarled at him and the kid widened his eyes, petrified. That was all Jungkook needed to see, now he just had the urge to finish him fast. He roundhouse kicked the kid in his face, sending him down to his knees.

 _Don't give him a chance to recover._ Jungkook leaned down and gripped the kid by a fistful of hair and kneed him in the jaw, he yelled out as he fell to the mat, Jungkook backed up, waiting for him to get up. The kid stood and wiped the trickle of blood that was staining his lip. He spat a wad of saliva and blood onto the floor and then turned to face Jungkook, his eyes glowing white. Jungkook had pissed him off. He smirked, continuing to glare at the kid with a malevolent scowl. The kid charged him, tackling him to the ground, he punched Jungkook hard in the face. Big mistake. The instant he tasted the blood in his mouth, Jungkook felt something in him snap, he kicked the kid off of him and rolled over to stand, throwing several punches that made contact with several delicate parts of his body, he keeled over, grabbing his midsection. Jungkook didn't wait for him to recover, he laid him out with a mixture of punches and kicks he was too slow to block. The kid fell down to his knees on the mat, like a heap of broken dreams, defeated. Jungkook grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, drew back his fist and Bam! A bone crushing punch right to his nose, Jungkook could feel it break the moment his fist made contact. The kid fell back to the mat, an unconscious bloody mess.

     The crowd went wild, cheering and yelling and chanting his name. _Jungkook!  Jungkook!_ Seokjin ran over and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Jungkook was shocked for a moment as he looked down at the kid, not moving. He won. He actually fucking won. Knocked the kid clean out! _K.O._ It had not registered for a few seconds as he stood there just staring, not until all the sounds came rushing back into his ears. The intensity of the moment was exhilarating, all the emotions floating around him, if he had to put this moment into one word, it would be 'Jubilation', 100% pure triumphant bliss. He grabbed Seokjin by the sides of his head and planted a big kiss right on his lips, he screamed out, "Wooooo!"

     Seokjin walked him off to the side, where he had been standing earlier, a huge congratulating smile spread across his face. "You fucking wrecked him." 

     Jungkook smiled, seeing how proud Seokjin was of him, made him warm. The biggest grin a person could muster spread over his face - not a damn thing could top this moment right now. "Go kick ass!" He wrapped his hand around the back of Seokjin's neck and rested his head on the elder's, for just a moment, he felt like they were the only two people in the room. Seokjin nodded and looked around Jungkook as Yoongi approached.

     "He's a scorpion, watch out for the tail," Yoongi warned him and they banged hands.

     Seokjin went into his fight mode the second he put his mouthpiece in, all expression drained from his face, the only thing that showed was a searing half-grin, the very grin that meant that Seokjin was about to wreck someone. He exchanged a glance with Jungkook and then turned to go out to the mat. Jungkook glanced at Yoongi, as he patted him on the back. "Good fight kid."

     Jungkook smiled and then turned to watch Seokjin lay down a world of hate to the guy that he figured must have been a Sasori, a half man/half scorpion with a poisonous venom that could subdue an enemy for hours. Taehyung had shown him one last week in one of the many books that Jungkook now forgot the names to the titles of. Seokjin did not mess around when it came to winning. He dropped the guy in less than 5 minutes, to a crowd that was half cheering and half booing. It seemed the boos made Seokjin grin even wider. He walked off the mat and they all went back to the locker room.

     "How does it feel?" Seokjin grabbed Jungkook, a proud fierceness etched across his face.

     "Amazing." Jungkook practically squealed and hugged Seokjin. "So fucking good."

     "Yeah, it fucking does." Seokjin kissed him, then turned his head to Yoongi. "Let's make this 3 for 3, huh?"

     Yoongi grinned, a cocky little smile that only Yoongi could get away with. Seokjin removed his gloves, then bent down to do Yoongi's wraps. Jungkook used his teeth to pull the velcro apart to take off his gloves and threw them into his bag as he sat down on the bench, grabbing a bottle of water. Adrenaline was still rushing through him and he felt like he could go against Jacker himself if he were to show up.

 

     The locker room doors flung open and Jungkook glanced up at the girl that sauntered in, doing a double take. He swore everything slowed down and time stopped for a split second.  _What the hell?_ This girl was sporting long pink hair that was done up in two pigtails, bright pink lipstick, and a white sequined eye patch covering her right eye. She was wearing a pair of tight, pink camo fight shorts, a pink fight bra and the pinkest MMA gloves Jungkook had ever seen. She looked almost comical, like she was straight out of an anime. 

     She strolled towards them, a confident bump in her step, bubblegum smacking around in her mouth like small firecrackers going off. He had to stifle a laugh as she walked by and sat her fluffy pink bag down on the bench to his right, the smell of strawberry wafted through the air, he wasn't sure if she robbed a bakery or if this was her perfume. When she turned around, he saw the name DESTRA was written in bright yellow letters on her ass.

     "Oh my god," Jungkook said aloud, not able to contain himself. She stopped unzipping her bag and looked down at him, a scowl formed on her lips, she looked him up and down, her expression screamed that she thought she was better than him in every way, he was just a peon that was unworthy to gaze upon his queen. 

     "You dare speak to me?" She lifted her high heeled boot and slammed it down on the bench in between Jungkook's legs, causing him to scoot quickly out of the way, nearly falling off the bench. Seokjin stood and stepped up to her, she turned to him and he was in her face, snarling.

     "Touch him and see what happens." Seokjin's tone was hard, almost unreal.

     "Oh, this the boytoy?" She smirked, staring Seokjin in the eye. "I would think you'd pick a good looking one at least."

     "Hey." Jungkook stood and she pushed him back down with her one hand, the other was placed on her hips like she was the baddest bitch in town.

     The room was on fire, the tension between Seokjin and Destra was so thick, it made Jungkook very uncomfortable, he swore the contempt he had for her was way worse than what he had shown towards Jacker.

     "Save it for the fight, Destra." Yoongi stood, grabbing Seokjin's shoulder and dragging him backward.

     "So vampire," She frothed at the mouth, "I hope you can survive this." Her expression was unflappable like she didn't even think Yoongi was a threat, in her mind she'd already won their fight.

     "Don't worry, I can handle people like you." Yoongi didn't falter, his distaste for this girl was apparent.

     "We'll see," She tilted her head and pursed her lips. "We'll see."

     

     Jungkook was sitting in the audience, surrounded by two rough looking drunk guys who kept bumping into his arm, annoying him. He was close to breaking their stupid arms. When Yoongi walked out from the back, Destra was already on her side of the mat, staring him down, pounding her pink-gloved fists together. When she scowled Jungkook noticed a gold fang peeked out, glistening from the spotlight that hit it. He looked over at Seokjin place his hand on Yoongi's shoulder and lean into his ear to say something, Yoongi nodded and then turned to Destra, rotating his head around in a circle, attempting to crack it. Jungkook thought he looked a bit nervous, which was uncharacteristic of him. Seokjin didn't take his eyes off Destra and Jungkook wondered what their history was, she had obviously rubbed him the wrong way.

     The bell rang and the crowd went wild, everyone rose to their feet, yelling and cheering, Jungkook kept getting pushed forward, his shoulders and back getting bumped by clumsy fans. He hated when people touched him, he felt claustrophobic. He took a deep breath and tried to shake it off, concentrating on the fight. Destra got several jabs in on Yoongi and his eyebrow was already split open, a streak of blood running down the side of his face. Seokjin paced, scenarios running through his mind of what Yoongi needed to be doing, but for some reason, Destra was two steps ahead of him, blocking and ducking all of Yoongi's attempts. Yoongi was becoming frustrated, he was not used to being bested. Destra seemed to be relishing on that, every time she made contact, an evil little smirk formed on her mouth. Seokjin was fuming, he was thirsty to get in the ring and take her down. He kept yelling to Yoongi, but Yoongi seemed to have blocked out everything, all his focus was on trying to outsmart her. She anticipated his moves, almost like she had studied him for awhile.

     "Aghh." He yelled out as the bell rang to end the round, he was discouraged. Seokjin put his arms on Yoongi's shoulders, trying to reassure him, but Yoongi was too annoyed, too frustrated to listen, he looked over at Destra who was peering back, eyes practically piercing through him.

     "Yoongi!" Seokjin grabbed him by the sides of his head and Yoongi looked at him, "Wreck her." He growled and Yoongi flinched, Seokjin's voice penetrated his mind. "Concentrate. She's shit."

     The bell rang and Destra didn't waste time closing the gap, she swung and Yoongi moved to the side, in a flash his fist made contact with the side of her head, shocking her. She screamed out, her growl felt like it shook the arena. Taehyung appeared in the aisle next to Jungkook's seat, not taking his eyes off the fight. Jungkook didn't even know he was planning to come tonight, he looked up at Taehyung with wide eyes wondering where the hell he had been hiding. Yoongi locked eyes with Taehyung for a moment and it seemed to energize him. He turned back to Destra and threw several punches her way, she ducked out of the way, allowing him an opening to zoom past her and grab her by the neck, he squeezed so hard, her tongue popped out of her mouth as she attempted to remove his hand, but once Yoongi had a grip, he could not be pried off. She swung at his face, but he moved each time. His fangs grew down past his lips, his own blood dripping off of them, tonight she would never doubt another vampire ever again.

     Jungkook and Taehyung exchanged glances, his death grip would be the talk of the after fights. The intensity in his eyes, he knew he was killing her, her face started to turn purple, as she gulped to try to get air into her throat. Yoongi squeezed harder and she went limp for a moment, falling to her knees. The bell rang to end the fight and Yoongi let go, he looked down at her, now on all fours, gasping for breath.

     "Fuck you." He spat a big blob of saliva onto the mat by her head and turned to the crowd, hands in the air, he yelled out and the crowd went wild. He turned to face Seokjin, who was coming towards him, then Yoongi stopped dead in his tracks, the smile faded from his lips. Seokjin's smile faded as well. Yoongi's eyes rolled up into his head, he took several steps forward then fell to his knees. Destra stood up, a huge smile on her face, a metallic cylinder wrapped around her index finger, pointed right where Yoongi's back had been seconds earlier. She had stabbed him and expelled something into his back muscles. Seokjin caught him as he fell forward. Taehyung rushed over in a panic, joined by Jungkook who stood back, not knowing what just happened, he watched as Taehyung held Yoongi still, his body was starting to shake, an ultraviolet light shone out from the hole in his back. She had poisoned him with sunlight, liquid sunlight. He was a goner, Jungkook went pale, she had killed him. Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's hand and pulled him down.

     "Hold him still, I need to dig it out before it's too late," Taehyung ordered and Jungkook nodded, still partially out of it, he was physically kneeling there, but his mind was swirling around the room. He looked up to see Destra running from the mat and Seokjin in pursuit. Chaos was all around, as the crowd started yelling at each other, trying to figure out what was going on. Jungkook looked down at Taehyung, he had plunged his fingers into the hole in Yoongi's back, the elder arched his back in pain and screamed out, he was near unconscious and covered with a thick blanket of sweat. Taehyung dug around inside of him, trying to locate the projectile before all the liquid drained into him. Yoongi thrashed about, making it hard for Jungkook to hold him, he could feel the heat draining from Yoongi's body fast, it was starting to turn cold, like someone dipped him in a vat of icey cold water. He looked at Taehyung, scared.

 

     Seokjin grabbed Destra by the back of her hair and slammed her into the wall, she hit with such a force that the wall shook as she bounced off and landed on the floor, Seokjin was breathing heavy, he had reached the point just beyond anger, his mind gone, all pure instinct replaced rational thought. He straddled her and placed his hand around her throat, squeezing the life out of her, she clawed his face several times, but he did not move. He tightened the grip, blood seeping out from in between his fingers.

     "You kill me and you'll never find Jacker." She choked out, he did not blink, he did not care, all he wanted to do was see her life force fade from behind her eyes, to know she was dying and not be able to do a thing about it.

     "Seokjin!" Hoseok had come around the corner and paused behind him. "Seokjin let her go." Hoseok attempted to pry him off of Destra, but he grabbed Hoseok's jacket with his free hand and held him there.

     Destra was gurgling, unable to breathe, her face a new shade of dark purple. Hoseok looked down at her, knowing that if Seokjin killed her here, they wouldn't be able to use her to find Jacker, he stared back over at Seokjin, raising his hand, he placed it near Seokjin's chest. A bright yellow, glowing light engulfed his hand and a force field pushed Seokjin off of her, pulling Hoseok forward in the process by the hand that was still attached to his jacket. Seokjin shook his head, collecting himself. He looked at Hoseok, murderous. Hoseok placed his hand over Destra's face and once again, a light engulfed his hand and she was out quick.

     Hoseok could feel Seokjin's breath on his neck, feeling as if any minute he was going to be torn apart. "I had to, you were killing her." Hoseok looked right into a pair of pitch black eyes, he swallowed hard. "Seokjin?"

     Seokjin's eyes returned to normal, but he continued to glare at Hoseok, fighting back the urge to hurt him.

 

     Taehyung threw a silver bullet shaped casing onto the floor, he looked up at Jungkook, he knew he didn't get to it in time and Yoongi was now filled with the one thing that would cause him a painful death. Tears welled up in Taehyung's eyes, he turned Yoongi over and looked into the elder's dilating pupils, trying to make his last minutes on earth as comfortable as possible.  "I-I'm sorry.." Taehyung wiped the tears streaming down his face. Yoongi's irises began to turn white, he blinked several times looking up at Taehyung's blubbering face. 

     "An angel." Yoongi stuttered, Taehyung was surrounded by a beautiful iridescent light. Taehyung wiped away the silvery fluid that leaked from Yoongi's nostrils, as the fearless vampire closed his eyes for the last time. 

      _Oh god, no_. Jungkook stood up, covering his mouth. This could not be it, he could not see Yoongi die like this. He turned away as Hoseok came skidding to a halt at Yoongi's side, he took out a small box and opened it, inside was a bright green gel.

     "Turn him over, hurry!" Hoseok ordered and Taehyung obliged, turning Yoongi on his stomach, Hoseok took some of the gel onto his palm, using his finger to stir it around, then he stuck his gelled finger inside Yoongi's wound, Yoongi screamed out. Jungkook covered his ears, it sounded as if a thousand bats cried out in unison, the raw squeals made the crowd scramble. Taehyung looked down as Hoseok pulled his finger away, a silver secretion bubbled up from within, turning to smoke, pouring out of the hole like a fire was burning inside. It stunk, like death. Taehyung coughed and looked up at Hoseok.

     "He needs blood, now." Hoseok looked around, he grabbed Jungkook's arm and dragged him down. Taehyung gripped Yoongi's shoulder and turned him over, as Hoseok sliced his fingernail across Jungkook's wrist and plunged it into Yoongi's mouth. At first, nothing happened, Yoongi laid motionless, until the blood hit his tongue, his body jolted, going into feeding mode. He reached out his hand and grabbed onto Jungkook's arm, squeezing and sucking. Jungkook winced, the sensation was weird, he felt almost drunk. Jungkook felt his will weaken, a sudden euphoric pleasure tingled his senses, so many happy little dots dancing around in his eyes, he felt like he could touch them. _So this was what it was like to be bitten by a vampire._

     "Enough." Seokjin pulled Jungkook's arm from Yoongi's grasp, if he didn't stop now, he would kill the younger. Yoongi closed his eyes, Jungkook's blood leaking from the corner's of his mouth, young blood always tasted the best.

     Taehyung let go of him and looked at Hoseok, he felt like he could hug him to death right now, he had saved Yoongi's life. He looked back down at Yoongi and Yoongi pulled him down by the shirt so that they were face to face. He planted a big, bloody kiss on Taehyung's lips.

     "I thought you weren't coming," Yoongi smirked, closing his eyes again.

      "Holy shit, can't we just have a normal damn day around here?" Taehyung let out a huge sigh of relief, Yoongi grabbed his hand and squeezed.

     "Not possible." Yoongi chuckled, opening his eyes, he looked at Hoseok. "I owe you."

      Hoseok shrugged. "Just be happy Taehyung's garden had some fresh aloe."

 

     The ride home was pretty quiet, Jungkook laid his head against Seokjin's shoulder as he drove, staring up at the moon through the windshield - it was following them. He knew it was an illusion, but for one night he wanted to believe the universe was on his side.

     "You okay?" Seokjin asked, looking down at him for a moment.

     "I just want this to be over, I am tired of people getting hurt." Jungkook closed his eyes.

     "Jacker will be gone soon." Seokjin wrapped his arm around Jungkook and pulled him closer. "I promise."

     Jungkook knew the promise was empty, Seokjin was just trying to pacify him.They both knew damn well what was coming. Jungkook wanted to scream, he was sick of being worried and upset, sick of knowing that very soon, he could be staring down at Seokjin like he was staring at Yoongi, his life draining from him. He wanted to hope for the best, that Seokjin would beat him, that Seokjin had the power to kill Jacker and end all of this bullshit. The reality was, nothing was certain and that killed him inside. _You can't promise me that._ Jungkook closed his eyes and sighed.  _No one can._


	26. Green-eyed Monsters

     THIS CHAPTER HAS MATURE CONTENT!

 

      For a 'bad' guy, Hoseok was pretty damn good. He saved both Yoongi and Taehyung's life all in the matter of a few weeks. It was hard for Yoongi to still hate him, especially since Hoseok had returned the necklace that he stole from him a very long time ago, a special trinket his mother had left him when she died. He had decided to forgive Hoseok for all the shit in the past, after all, without the witch's quick actions, he would not be around to sit out here on the garden wall thinking about it all in the first place.

     "Every time I come out here, there you are." Taehyung appeared behind Yoongi, admiring his nice patch of aloe, that was now missing a few leaves.

     "Peaceful place." Yoongi looked over at Taehyung, "I didn't get a chance to say thank you for last night."

     "Yeah, you did." Taehyung blushed, leaning on the wall next to him.

     "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have-"

     "No, it's okay." Taehyung interrupted, "I know you were out of it." He walked over to the aloe plant and bent down to tend to it.

     "Oh, uh..no, I wasn't that out of it." Yoongi seemed confused by Taehyung's attitude.

     "I wonder why Hoseok thought to bring aloe with him to the fight." Taehyung wondered aloud.

     "I don't know, maybe he just carries that shit with him." Yoongi stood, "Taehyung, I-"

     "Who carries aloe with them?" Taehyung interrupted him again. 

     _Maybe he doesn't want to talk about the kiss._ Yoongi walked over and looked down at the plant. "He's not exactly normal." 

     Taehyung stood back up and turned to Yoongi. He wanted to say something about the kiss and what it meant, but he didn't want to hear Yoongi say that it was just out of gratitude. He couldn't explain why that would make him feel bad, he didn't like Yoongi like that. _Do I?_

     "I'm going to go track down Seokjin." Yoongi broke the silence. "I'll catch you later-"

     Taehyung nodded and then turned back to the plants. Yoongi sighed and walked off, discouraged.

 

     Destra was loud, she didn't like being held captive and if she had her way, the whole castle was going to hear about it. Too bad she had no clue she was in a soundproof room and Jungkook had to laugh at her attempts to gain attention by screaming profanities at the glass window. He looked over at Seokjin glaring at her, studying her, his breath making fog marks on the glass. 

     "Why do you hate her so much?" Jungkook asked.

     "I didn't understand back then, but knowing now that she's Jacker's half-sister, I get it." Seokjin started, but Yoongi coming into the room made him turn his attention to the little white-haired intruder. Jungkook frowned.

     "Anyone talk to her yet?" Yoongi asked, knocking on the window, getting no reaction. "Soundproof?"

     Seokjin nodded. "She's gonna get sick of being in there eventually."

      "You really think she's going to give up where Jacker is?" Yoongi expressed his usual skepticism

     "No." Seokjin stopped and looked over at Jungkook glaring at Yoongi, bothered. "What is with you?"

     "What?" Jungkook looked at him, clueless.

     "Why don't you go work out for a bit," Seokjin suggested.

     "Why?" Jungkook held up his hands, confused.

     Seokjin looked at him wide-eyed, in disbelief at why Jungkook would even question him. "You want me to say it?"

     "Maybe a fucking clue would be good?" Jungkook snapped.

     "Oh for fuck's sake, you're being a jealous little bitch..go away." Yoongi snapped back.

     Jungkook was offended, his face turned a hot shade of red, "Excuse me?"

     Seokjin clutched his arm and lead him over to the door. "Just go do something for awhile, please."

     Jungkook drew his arm back, out of Seokjin's grip. His eyes narrowed into slits, "Why do I have to leave?"

     "Because you're distracting as hell." Yoongi butted in, still looking through the glass.

     "Yoongi, please." Seokjin scolded.

      Jungkook took a few steps towards Yoongi, his fists balled up, Seokjin held out his arm to stop him. "He's right, it's distracting. Please, just go find something to do for awhile."

     Jungkook scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You're fucking kidding me, I was here first."

     Yoongi had had enough of the kid's back talk, he walked over, grabbed Jungkook by the collar and dragged him outside the room, the younger protesting the sudden moving of his body. Yoongi pushed him back away from the door. "I'm not in the mood for your shit kid, go the fuck away." Yoongi waved sarcastically and closed the door.

     Jungkook was fuming, he swore on the moon that if he saw Yoongi's face again today, he would pound his stupid little face into the ground.

     "What's up your ass?" Seokjin asked Yoongi, still looking towards the door, wondering if he should go explain.

     "He'll get over it." Yoongi leaned his back against the glass panel. "You need to get a handle on him with this jealousy crap."

     "I should go talk to him-" Seokjin stated, but Yoongi shook his head. "What?"

     "He's made you soft." Yoongi groaned. 

     "Bullshit," Seokjin grunted.

     "Sure." Yoongi raised his eyebrows, holding firm in his statement.

     "Change of subject." Seokjin walked back over to the glass. 

 

     Jungkook was restless, he was pissed, he was hungry and most of all he just wanted to punch someone, namely Yoongi. He found himself on the sideyard hurling weapons at high speeds towards a target that was set up about 50 feet away. Jungkook took some knives from the hardwood case sitting on the ground at his feet, he whipped the knife and watched as it slammed into the red circle. They were Seokjin's prized silver and onyx throwing knives, which at the moment he didn't care if he had permission to use, he needed to channel his negative energy into something, he figured the hay and wood target was much better a choice than Yoongi's face. 

     "Nice bullseye," Seokjin whispered in his ear, Jungkook turned around startled, nearly plunging the knife into Seokjin's neck, lucky for him, Seokjin's reflexes were fast and he grabbed the knife blade, cutting himself in the process.

     "Jesus, what the fuck?" Jungkook yelled out, noticing the blood. "Don't fucking sneak up on me like that." He was ignoring the fact that he nearly just sliced and diced the love of his life.

     "You mad at me?" Seokjin looked down at the cut on his hand.

     "It was an accident-"

     "I wasn't talking about this." Seokjin squeezed his hand shut to stop the bleeding, then looked back at Jungkook.

     "Do I have a reason to be mad, Seokjin? I can't imagine." Jungkook took aim and threw another knife at the target, coming close to a second's bullseye.

     "I'm sorry." Seokjin picked up a knife and chucked it at the target, "I don't get why you're so bothered by Yoongi?"

     "I don't know, maybe because he's an asshole." Jungkook turned to Seokjin, "I didn't do shit to him today."

     "He was on edge," Seokjin informed him, like that was supposed to excuse his behavior.

     "Yeah well, you didn't exactly stand up for me either." Jungkook dropped the two remaining knives into the case and started to walk off.

     "Jungkook, wait." Seokjin tried to grab his arm, but Jungkook evaded it.

     Jungkook stopped and turned to him, "What? Am I supposed to be happy that you're defending him now?" Jungkook scoffed,  "I don't care how much of a bad mood he's in, why the hell would you let him think it's okay to treat me like that?"

     "I didn't think it was that big a deal." Seokjin maintained. "You're acting like you have a reason to be jealous of him."

     "Fuck it, who cares." Jungkook shrugged, "Just go fucking hang out with him." Jungkook walked backward a few steps then turned around and headed back to the house. Seokjin sighed loudly. Why were bonds so damn hard?

 

      Upon wandering around the castle, Jungkook found himself in the kitchen, mindlessly scouring the refrigerator for something he wasn't even hungry for, Hoseok had sensed a problem and Jungkook had spilled what had happened earlier, much to his better judgment.

    "Why is Yoongi so pissed off?" Hoseok asked, throwing some carrots into a pot and returning the lid.

     "How the hell would I know that?" Jungkook shrugged, he really missed Noni right now, Hoseok just wasn't the same to talk to.

     "Did you do something to him?" Hoseok inquired, grabbing a potato.

     "Why does everyone blame this on me?" Jungkook was livid, "I didn't do shit to him."

     "Calm down killer, it was just a question," Hoseok muttered.

     "I know I seem jealous-" Jungkook started and then saw the disbelieving look on Hoseok's face. "Okay, maybe I'm a little jealous."

     "A little." Hoseok giggled and then stopped when he saw the murderous look he was getting.

     "I don't want to be." Jungkook sat up on the counter, looking into the pot.

     "Well then don't be," Hoseok smirked.

     "You're no help." Jungkook groaned.

     Yoongi walked into the kitchen and stopped. Jungkook clenched his jaw, quickly refocusing his eyes on the pot again. Yoongi grabbed a soda from the fridge, then turned to lean against the counter, eyeing Jungkook.

     "Eating dinner with us?" Hoseok asked him. "I have fresh pixie blood."

     "No thanks." Yoongi just stared at Jungkook, who refused to look at him. "I just came to talk to him."

     "I'm going to go get some herbs from the garden." Hoseok wiped his hands on the towel laying beside the butcher block, looking to both of them, "I can trust the knives aren't going to be sticking out of any body parts if I leave, right?"

     Yoongi gave him a nice 'fuck off' look and Hoseok nodded, then turned to walk out. Yoongi pulled out a chair and sat in it backward, leaning his arms over the chairback. Jungkook did his best not to meet his gaze, but he was starting to feel uneasy from the elder staring at him.

     "Listen, I get it, I get what you're going through." Yoongi confided, "I've been there."

     Jungkook remained fixated on the contents of the pot bubbling wildly. _Oh, so a watch pot really does boil. Cool._ He wondered if he should stir it so it didn't stick.

     "Seokjin is my best friend, I'm not going away." Yoongi stressed, "So you might as well figure out a way to control the shit you're dealing with."

     Jungkook noticed steam bubbles trickling down the side of the pot, _why is this so fascinating to watch?_

     "If you're going to be an insufferable little shit, we can take this to the god damned mat!" Yoongi exclaimed.

     _What the hell is Hoseok making anyway? Stew?_   Jungkook contemplated picking up the spoon and just giving it a good stir.

     Yoongi stood, infuriated, he tramped over to Jungkook and grabbed his shirt and pulled him off the counter, "Are you listening to me?"

     Jungkook pushed Yoongi back and looked him straight into his eyes, not blinking, his teeth turning to fangs. His body tensed up with the sudden rage he was feeling. How dare Yoongi lay his hands on him.

     "Good, anger,"  Yoongi nodded. "I can deal with anger."

     "What the fuck do you want from me?" Jungkook hissed, his face flushed with a red tint that suggested he should not be messed with right now.

     "A bond doesn't mean you own him." Yoongi stated, cold.

     Jungkook did not avert his gaze, almost as though he was challenging Yoongi to start something.

     "Control whatever bullshit you have going on in that mind of yours, I'm tired of all your negative energy." Yoongi pushed him back. Jungkook didn't even realize he reacted, he grabbed Yoongi's hand and flipped it backward and up, breaking it. The bone pushed through his skin, shooting blood onto his sleeve. Yoongi screamed out, grabbing his hand, he popped his wrist back into place with a deafening snap. He was half tempted to punch Jungkook in his stupid little nose, but decided a kitchen brawl would just make Hoseok right.

     Jungkook just continued to stare him down, heat rising from him with each rapid rise and fall of his abdomen, each breath laced with animosity, Jungkook got a sick enjoyment out of breaking the bastard's wrist.

     "Fuck!" Yoongi yelled out, leaning his hands on the table to compose himself, inhaling a large breath. "I'm not going to fight with you." 

     Jungkook smirked. "I wouldn't want to fight me right now either." 

     Yoongi looked over at him, Jungkook's gaze was malicious, Yoongi knew the younger's cocky new attitude meant if given the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to pummel him right now. Yoongi's expression changed, like he was getting a sudden twisted pleasure out of all this, to him, this just became a challenge. Yoongi decided maybe a little rivalry is what was needed to pop the kid out of his fantasy world. If this little shithead wanted to engage him in a game of best friend versus boyfriend, who was he to resist?

     Hoseok's return broke Yoongi out of his little trance. "Jesus, tension city." Hoseok gasped.

     "Yeah." Yoongi looked at Hoseok, then back to Jungkook. "Watch yourself, dick." Yoongi sneered, then put his wrist to his mouth to suck off the blood from where his bone had pushed through the flesh. He sauntered out of the room, sporting a new, arrogant smirk.

     "I'd say this has escalated into an issue." Hoseok set down the bundle of herbs he had collected, then turned to Jungkook, noticing the pissed off look as the younger stared at the door. "Calm down, you're practically foaming at the mouth."

     "I'm fine." Jungkook plopped back on to the counter, anything but fine. 

     "Fine isn't wanting to kill your boyfriend's best friend." Hoseok chuckled to himself. "This is like high school all over again."

     "I'm glad you're amused." Jungkook huffed, he just wished he could run away for a few days.

     Taehyung walked in and set down a covered box on to the table, scratching sounds were emerging from it and Jungkook swore he saw the box thump sideways a few times.

     "Oh, you found them?" Hoseok smiled, walking over to the box and peeking inside. "You are a lifesaver."

     Taehyung wasn't quite sure why Hoseok wanted Curmlings- tiny little mouse-sized creatures that had furry wings and giant lemur-like eyes, they were magical and often used in potions. Jungkook's imagination was running wild and he couldn't control his curiosity any longer, he walked over as Hoseok pulled one of them from the box, flailing about, trying to escape his grasp.

     "What the shit is that?" Jungkook smiled, it was cute. He poked at it and it cooed.

     "Curmling." Hoseok announced, looking it over. "If my calculations are right, I may have concocted a balm to help with our skin issue." He glanced at Taehyung.

     Taehyung was looking extra grey lately, it didn't seem his diet of animal brains was helping much with the problem either.

     "Zombies are weird." Jungkook decided aloud, scratching the little creature under its chin. 

     "Well he refuses to eat human brains, so this is what it's come to," Hoseok explained.

     Seokjin walked into the room and stopped when he saw they were all staring at a rodent. Jungkook looked over at him and then looked away, glancing up at the clock. Seven PM.

     "Okay, take them down to the lab, I'll be down later to extract their glands." Hoseok put the creature back and closed the box. Taehyung nodded and grabbed the box and walked out of the room.

     "I should go, got some studying to do." Jungkook pushed past Seokjin, towards the door.

     "Jungkook," Seokjin called out, not looking at him.

     Jungkook stopped for a moment, contemplating if he cared enough at the moment to answer him. _Nope_. He continued out, not sparing a second glance.

     Seokjin looked at Hoseok. "How pissed off is he?"

     "On a scale of 1-10? Twenty?" Hoseok explained, "Yoongi was here earlier talking to him."

     "I know, Jungkook broke his hand." Seokjin complained, but Hoseok could detect a hint of pride in his tone.

     "This can't go on, this is what tears packs apart." Hoseok took the lid off the pot. "Dinner is late tonight, would be a good time to talk to him."

    Seokjin sighed, he was dreading that talk. He really didn't know what to say, he had never been jealous before, he couldn't understand why Jungkook was suddenly so bitter towards Yoongi.

 

     He knocked on Jungkook's door, no answer. He turned the handle, it was unlocked. The room was almost completely dark, just a hint of light came through the window across the room.

    "You studying in the dark?" Seokjin yelled out. A pair of bright blue glowing eyes blinked from the darkness.

     "What do you want?" Jungkook groaned. Seokjin turned on the light, Jungkook was sitting on the window seat, looking outside, a book opened in his lap, but it was upside down, so Seokjin knew he hadn't been reading.

     "Can I come in?" Seokjin stood in the doorway, his arm leaning on the jamb.

     "Just say what you came up here to say." Jungkook glanced over at him a moment then returned his gaze to the grounds below, the blue of his eyes reflected in the glass.

     Seokjin stood there a few moments, he was struggling with himself for the right words to say. "Are you okay?" 

     "Yes." Jungkook lied. "Is that all?"

     "I don't know what the problem is," Seokjin stated. "So, I don't know how to fix it."

     "I don't either, but hey if staying away from you fixes it, then we have a solution." Jungkook reckoned.

     "Jungkook, that's not funny," Seokjin whined. 

     "I'm not trying to be." Jungkook adjusted his posture, setting the book down next to him, he caught Seokjin's reflection in the window, the elder's face was conflicted. "I really don't know why this bothers me so much."

     "You have nothing to worry about, you believe that, don't you?" Seokjin asked, noticing off in the distance, a flash of lightning lit up the sky.

     "I know." Jungkook shrugged, "I'm not trying to act like some jealous asshole."

     Thunder sounded out and Jungkook jumped, Seokjin walked over to the window admiring the sun setting on the horizon, the moon peeking out from several dark clouds that seemed to be circling the castle all day, several more flashes of lightning filled the sky. "We're in for one hell of a storm." He leaned against the wall next to the window, looking down at Jungkook.

      Jungkook was determined not to look at Seokjin, he still felt so much pent-up rage inside of him. He really wanted to be alone, but with the storm coming, he also didn't want Seokjin to leave. He hated thunder, the sound reminded him of something bad, something he felt inside, but couldn't remember. The closer it got, the more anxious he became, lightning would flash and a crack of thunder would follow shortly after. Jungkook's heart was racing, Seokjin could sense the younger was not in a good place.

     "I can stay until the storm is over if you want." Seokjin looked back out the window. "We don't have to talk now."

     Jungkook looked up at him, Seokjin could not have said a more perfect thing. He was struck at how ethereal Seokjin looked leaning against the wall, the fading light of the setting sun shining on his face, the glimmer in his eyes when the lightning flashed. His lips parted just slightly, enjoying the delicate beauty hidden inside of the storm brewing outside. Jungkook was in awe at how someone so perfect existed in front of him, he couldn't help but stare. Seokjin looked down at him and Jungkook felt butterflies fluttering around in his stomach, as if he was falling in love with the man standing before him all over again. There was something vulnerable in the way that Seokjin was staring back at him. Instinct took over, he leaned up and pushed Seokjin against the wall, his lips hovering just in front of Seokjin mouth, pondering how he wanted to handle this. Seokjin's eyes begging Jungkook to kiss him, his breath elevated, matching the beating of both their hearts. Jungkook softly pressed his lips against Seokjin's, the elder closed his eyes, allowing himself to be lost in Jungkook's embrace.

     Jungkook kissed Seokjin's neck just under his jawline, his hand finding the small of Seokjin's back, pulling him over to the bed, he pushed Seokjin down and removed his own shirt, throwing it aside. Seokjin bit his lip, admiring the firm toned muscles of Jungkook's naked torso. Jungkook climbed on to the bed and straddled his pelvis. He leaned down, hovering just above Seokjin's mouth, feeling the elders breath on him, Jungkook's hand slowly undoing the buttons of Seokjin's dress shirt. Seokjin anticipated a kiss, but Jungkook did not oblige, instead he slid off the shirt and threw it aside, then removed the elder's undershirt, sliding it over his head, tousling his hair in the process. Jungkook loved when Seokjin looked a mess. The thunder cracked outside, shaking the window, they both looked over. The excitement of the storm played into the lust Jungkook was feeling. He kissed Seokjin, slipping his tongue in just enough to touch the tip, engaging in a playful little wrestling match as they entwined their tongues, tasting each other. Seokjin grabbed Junkook's hips, slipping his hand under the waistband of Jungkook's shorts, cupping his ass cheeks, squeezing enough that Jungkook flinched. Jungkook pinned Seokjin's hands above his head.

     "Not yet." Jungkook whispered into his ear, goosebumps formed on the elder's skin. He wanted Seokjin to crave him, to beg for him to stop tormenting him. Another loud crack of thunder boomed, the storm was just over the castle, the hard rain pounding against the window pane, he wasn't sure which was louder - the drops of water hitting the glass or Seokjin's heart inside his chest.

     "Kookie." Seokjin murmured and Jungkook grinned. _Kookie._ He liked that.

     "Say it again." Jungkook beckoned.

     "Kookie." Seokjin's voice was rough, manifesting his desire for the younger.

     Jungkook leaned up, scanning Seokjin's body, deciding which part of him to tease first. He planted soft kisses on Seokjin's stomach tracing the outline of his abs with his finger, admiring how smooth his skin was. He worked his way up to Seokjin's erect nipple, gently sucking down - Seokjin's body reacting to Jungkook's tongue made Jungkook nibble lightly.  Seokjin moaned out, grabbing the back of the younger's hair.

     He undid the button of the elder's pants and carefully slid the zipper down over the tight bulge that begged to be free. A sly little smirk formed on his lips as he watched Seokjin squirm beneath his grasp, he removed his pants quickly and threw them aside. A big clap of thunder sounded just above the house and all the lights went out, the only light coming into the room was from the jolts of lightning striking down every few seconds. They both looked towards the window again. 

     "Almost as electric out there as it is in here." Jungkook smiled and turned back to Seokjin, the elder leaned up to meet his lips and pulled him back down. "Is someone impatient?"

     Seokjin's gaze was ravenous, he knew what he wanted and if Jungkook didn't give it to him soon, he was going to scream. "I swear to the gods if you don't fuck me now-"

     "Or what?" Jungkook interrupted, biting his lip as he glanced downward, Seokjin was big, perfect, standing at full attention, and begging to be taken. "God, you're beautiful."

     "Please." Seokjin whispered. Jungkook wanted him just as bad, he figured he better find the lube quickly, but then again, teasing the elder felt so good.

 

     Taehyung was standing under the gazebo, caught out in the storm, afraid that if he chanced trying to get back to the castle, he would get fried. He looked up at the sky, the flashes were coming every 10 seconds, he had never seen anything like it. Yoongi appeared beside him in a giant blur, hair soaked, clothing drenched.

     "You stuck?" Yoongi smirked.

     "Yeah, pretty epic storm." Taehyung looked over at him. Yoongi was on him in the blink of an eye, his lips pressed against Taehyung's, their noses smooshed together. Taehyung was shocked, he sat there for a moment, unable to move, brought back to reality when Yoongi's hand grabbed the side of his head and his other hand wrapping around his waist and pulling him closer. Yoongi's lips were so soft pressed to his own, he kissed back, nervous he was doing it wrong. Yoongi pulled away slow, gauging his reaction. Taehyung could only blink several times, trying to register what just happened.

     "Close your mouth." Yoongi smiled, "Unless you want me to find a use for it again?"

     Taehyung attempted to speak, but all that came out were two high pitched squeaks.

     "Don't be so shocked." Yoongi pushed him back playfully, he looked up at the sky, the lightning had subsided somewhat, at least enough so they could make a run for the castle. "We should go-"

     Taehyung leaned against the gazebo rail, his knees felt weak. "You kissed me." He cleared his throat, "Again."

     "Glad you could catch up." Yoongi motioned towards the castle, "Go?"

     A pair of headlights coming up the driveway made them both turn around. The car stopped and Namjoon and Nari got out, they ran up towards the front of the castle and disappeared inside.

     "Namjoon's home." Taehyung announced and Yoongi turned back to him.

     "Wonder where he went." Yoongi pondered, "And with Nari."

     Taehyung looked up at the sky, the storm had died down suddenly, and the stars were starting to peek through the dissipating thick blanket of clouds. Peculiar, how it was so turbulent one moment and the next, it was calming down. He looked over at Yoongi who was looking up at the sky too, wearing the same expression he was sure he was wearing himself, a few seconds ago.

     An hour later, the storm was completely gone, a calm had swept the night, the crickets returned to chirping their love choruses, every hidden star now visible and twinkling as if happy to be alive again. Jungkook was already asleep on Seokjin's chest, Seokjin was curling his finger around a stray piece of Jungkook's hair, staring out the window, the moonlight shining brightly on his face. He kissed Jungkook's head and smiled, he cherished these moments, like they were somehow stronger because of them. He looked up at the ceiling, his eyelids threatening to close, welcoming sleep. He blinked, fighting to keep them open, he wanted to push all the bad thoughts from the day away before he drifted off, to avoid nightmares.

     Jungkook's scent was so calming, Seokjin couldn't help but smile. Moments later he was asleep.


	27. Destra's Confession

      MATURE CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER!

 

      A flash lit up the room, accompanied with a loud  ***'POOF'*** as a big ball of smoke flew up into Hoseok's face and gagged him, he swatted away the blackened puff. Taehyung laughed, he looked like he was straight out of one of those cartoons where the characters face is covered in a mask of black soot after an experiment blows up. It was a good thing the walls of the lab were fire resistant.

     "That wasn't it." Hoseok scrunched up his face as he reached over to grab a towel to wipe it off. "Maybe some mugwort instead, it's a mild enough sedative."

     "You really think this will work?' Taehyung handed him the vial of mugwort extract and leaned in, watching as Hoseok added it to the ingredients. 

     "She's been sleep deprived for 3 days, it'll relax her enough to make her think she's dreaming," Hoseok smirked, feeling like quite the genius.

     

      Seokjin peeked his head into the room, Hoseok waved him in. "How's it coming?" He closed the door behind him.

     "My valerian supply was low, so I'm improvising." Hoseok held up the small vial of liquid. "Highly volatile, so don't put it near a flame...or drop it." Hoseok thought for a second, "You probably don't want to shake it either."

     Seokjin gave him a strange look. "Will she survive this?" 

     "She just needs a drop or two." Hoseok unscrewed the top and showed him the dropper. "I would put it in her drink though, it's quite putrid by itself."

     "The stuff hasn't been used in over a hundred years, not since the witch trials," Taehyung warned. "Too much and she'll be a vegetable."

     Seokjin took the bottle and looked at it, "Wish me luck."

     

     Destra was out within five minutes, teetering between consciousness and dreamland. Hoseok and Taehyung watched through the window as Yoongi joined Seokjin in the room she was in. Seokjin was hovering just over the bed where she was sprawled out. Yoongi placed himself across from the window, far enough away from Destra as to not look immediately suspicious. Behind the glass, Jungkook joined Taehyung and Hoseok, glaring at Yoongi.

     "Destra?" Seokjin called out, she swatted at the air, like shooing away a bug. "Can you hear me?"

     "Jacker?" She opened her eyes a bit, settling her gaze upon Seokjin, thinking he was Jacker, she looked relieved. "Oh thank heaven you found me, they held me captive for days, I was going crazy."

     "You didn't tell them where I was, did you?" Seokjin asked, playing off a slightly angry tone.

     "I would never." She yawned.

     "We don't have much time, we need to get this plan going." Seokjin took a deep breath, "Do you agree?"

     "Hell yes I do, I told you, you should have killed him a long time ago." Destra rubbed her nose, "I'm so itchy."

     "Seokjin has been a thorn in my side." Seokjin rolled his eyes at Yoongi and Yoongi stifled a laugh.

     "Well him too, you should have killed them both." Destra hummed.

     Seokjin and Yoongi exchanged baffled glances.

     "Kill who?" Yoongi asked her, she raised her head slightly to look at him, scrunching up her face into a pout.

     "Oh Yoongi, why would I tell _you_ that?" Destra smiled.

     "Why wouldn't you? It's not like I would tell anyone." Yoongi played along.

     "True." She laughed, laying her head back down. "That stupid kid wasn't supposed to even grow up."

     "Jungkook?" Yoongi asked, glancing towards the glass mirror. Jungkook met his eyes, even though Yoongi could not see him.

     "Who else? How many dangerous kids you know?" Destra leaned up on her arms, eyes still closed. "The both of them together is the worse thing that could have happened."

     "Dangerous how?" Yoongi walked closer to her.

     "I'm sure you have noticed the signs by now, it's only going to get worse." Destra opened one of her eyes, squinting to see Yoongi's face. "I have always been intrigued by vampires."

     "Me too." Yoongi frowned, "What signs?"

     "I am jealous of how fast your species moves, like you're one with the wind." She made a swooshing sound with her mouth and waved her hand.

     "Amusing." Yoongi crossed his arms, shaking his head at Seokjin, his patience was wearing thin.

     "Destra, just tell him what he needs to know, so he can die in peace," Seokjin ordered.

     "The kid is moody, keep careful lookout what happens when he is." Destra laid back on the bed, her hand on her head massaging her temple, she felt like the room was spinning. "I feel so drunk."

     "You're not making any sense." Yoongi was blunt. "He's a normal kid."

     Destra laughed loudly, "I didn't realize vampires were so dense."

     "I didn't realize you were so annoying." Yoongi rolled his eyes, turning away and leaning his back against the wall.

     "He's special, he was born because his Mother made a deal with some very bad people." Destra smirked, "They didn't count on him being blue."

     "Blue?" Yoongi raised his eyebrows, wondering what the hell she was talking about.

     "Blue aura, you know, peace-loving. They're beyond rare. He was supposed to be their soldier, but he wasn't born red, so they were going to kill him. I mean he still has that Onyx streak, especially when crossed and he can fight like the rest of them, but blue's aren't evil, not like reds." Destra sighed, "Seokjin was a red at birth, they were going to take him, but Jacker here made a mistake, so he ended up with that half-breed lover, Namjoon."

     "Who was going to make them soldiers?" Yoongi sat on the bed next to her.

     "Seokjin's grandfather and their band of cabals. Breeding halflings to control is kind of genius, but they went about it the wrong way, didn't they." She laughed.

     "Seokjin's grandfather bred onyx half-breeds to fight in a war?" Yoongi inquired, trying to make sure he was understanding her right.

     "If you're going to kill off an entire species of werewolves, who else would you get?" Destra answered, thinking, "Who would have thought the kid would be a blue, I mean what are the odds?"

     "But why make werewolf/onyx hybrids, isn't that defeating the purpose?"

     "It would be easier to kill them off if they were half werewolf, think about it..you don't keep soldiers alive after your quest is done." Destra made a tsk-tsk sound.

     "Of course." Yoongi's sarcastic tone was evident to all but Destra.

     "Nari wouldn't let them kill the kid, she was never on board with the slayings, neither was Seokjin's mother." Destra licked her lips, "The love of a parent is a peculiar thing."

     Jungkook was confused, he and Seokjin were bred for war? To kill off werewolves? Why had this all been kept from him? He desperately needed to talk to his mother.

     Seokjin sensed Jungkook's turmoil through the glass. He was confused himself, he wondered if Namjoon knew all this. 

     "I'm starving, can someone get me some food already?" Destra bellowed.

     "Do you remember the next place we were supposed to meet at?" Seokjin asked, ready to be done with this already.

     "Did I miss the warehouse already? Those bastards kept me in a room for days" Destra yelled out but didn't move.

     "Warehouse, yeah, you missed it, I need you to remember the next place." Seokjin persuaded her.

     "I thought it was back at your mansion, did the plans change?" Destra looked up, she tilted her head sideways, she didn't recognize anyone in the room. "You're.. not.. Jacker."

     "Thank god for small things," Seokjin smirked.

     "Oh, no...no no no, this isn't right." She sat up, everything was spinning. "What did you give me?"

     "I dunno, ten or twenty drops of some shit." Seokjin pulled out the vial and gave it a good shake, then unscrewed the top. He reached down and grabbed her chin, squeezing hard. She yelled out as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

     "What is he doing?" Hoseok asked, looking at each of them, then pressing his palms to the window in protest.

     They watched as Seokjin tipped the contents of the entire bottle into her mouth and pushed her back so that she was laid out on the bed again. She grabbed her throat, choking. A white smoke began pouring off her skin like she was being flame broiled, emitting a foul stench into the air. _Ah yes, the lovely smell of burning flesh._ Yoongi held his nose, quite intrigued by what was happening. _So this is what happens to very old werewolves when they die._

"Is this typical...or?" Yoongi asked rhetorically. Seokjin looked over at him and chuckled.

     "Bye Destra." Taehyung waved at the glass.

     "I didn't make that so he could kill her." Hoseok groaned.

     She stopped breathing in a matter of seconds, shriveling up into a crusty, leather-like sack of bones - eyes sunken in, dust flaking off of her dull grey mummified skin, her chest cavity caved in like someone had sucked the water out of her - a disgusting Destra cocktail.

     "I'd say the pink hair doesn't really suit this look much." Taehyung joked. Hoseok looked over at him, one eyebrow raised, questioning his humor.

     "I think we need to talk to Nari, now." Yoongi suggested, looking over at Seokjin.

     "Yeah." Seokjin looked towards the glass, quite sure Jungkook was looking back at him. He hurried from the room, intent on paying a visit to Nari, she had a lot of explaining to do.

     

     Jungkook grabbed Seokjin's arm to stop him from knocking on his mother's door. "Wait, I should talk to her first."

     "Your mom has been lying to us, I want to know why." Seokjin hollered.

     "I know, but she's still my mother." Jungkook looked down, "Please, just let me talk to her first."

     Seokjin was not happy, but he agreed anyway. "Okay, fine." He cracked his neck, looking at the door then to Jungkook, a few seconds later he walked off towards the stairs. "I'll be in the kitchen."

     Jungkook knocked lightly, then opened the door. His mother was still fast asleep. The curtains were drawn open, filling the room with bright sunlight, bouncing off the pristine white tile flooring, blinding him. He wondered how she slept like this. Quite the contrast from when he was a kid, she always kept the house dark, a habit Jungkook still kept to this day. He had to step over several clothing items to make his way to the bed, he hadn't remembered his mom being such a slob. He wondered how many other things were different about her since he was a child. He gently shook her and she lifted the sleep mask off her eyes, shielding her eyes from the light in the room, she focused on Jungkook's face.

     "Jungkook?" She sat upright, "Is everything okay?"

     "I dunno, I'd like to think there was a good reason for you to lie to me." Jungkook clenched his jaw, "But I really can't think of one."

     Nari closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Give me five minutes to get dressed."

     Jungkook nodded, "I'll be in the kitchen."

 

     Seokjin was leaning against the counter, nursing a cup of coffee. He looked up at the clock, it had been nearly fifteen minutes now and he was losing his patience, he was too close to marching up the stairs to bang on her door, demanding she come down. He looked over at Jungkook who was sitting at the table chewing on his lip, deep in thought, the younger was way more tolerant than he was.

     Nari walked in, her face sunk when she saw Jungkook peer up at her.

     Jungkook stood and pulled out a chair for her as she sat, pushing it in and then sitting again.

     "What deal did you make when I was born?" Jungkook got straight to the point.

     "Jungkook I need you to understand-" Nari started.

     "I just want the truth for once." Jungkook was adamant about not letting her try to skirt around the issue. Nari took a deep breath, she knew it was time to confess the parts she had withheld, she just hoped he wouldn't hate her when he found out what she had done.

     "I wasn't able to conceive a child." Nari couldn't hide the worry on her face, she looked up at Seokjin and then back to Jungkook, "Seokjin's grandfather was married to a powerful witch, she was especially gifted in practices of fertility." She looked down, wiping a tear.

     Seokjin poured a glass of water and set it down in front of her, he exchanged glances with Jungkook, the younger looked on the verge of tears himself. Jungkook grabbed his hand and squeezed, Seokjin's presence made him feel at ease, at least he knew he wasn't alone in this, they both had been lied to their whole lives. Seokjin sat down in the chair next to him, his hand resting on the younger's shoulder for moral support.

     Nari took a deep breath, "Cato promised me that his wife could give me a baby, but I had to agree that when you were of age, that you would be a part of his plan to slaughter the werewolves." She took a sip of the water. "I would have agreed to anything if it meant I could have children."

     "Why did you hide this from me?" Jungkook was hurt, he didn't think he'd be able to trust her again.

     "I was ashamed, Jungkook, afraid that if anyone knew that I was a part of this, what could happen to you." Nari wiped another tear.

     "So you knew my grandfather?" Seokjin prodded, he didn't know much about the man, other than that he was a demigod hell bent to kill off an entire species for whatever purpose.

     "Yes." She looked down. "I grew up around your father, before he married Amari, before he assumed his permanent human form. Your grandfather had grand dreams for you, but your parents wouldn't hear of it, they hid you away and refused to be any part of the Onyx community."

      "Destra said I was born blue-" Jungkook questioned, _Peace loving wimp more like._

      "A blue aura isn't a soldier, a blue is meant to bring peace, to unite people and species. When they found out, they wanted to kill you, you posed a threat to their plans." Nari shook her head, "I couldn't let that happen. I knew Namjoon could keep you safe from Jacker and from Cato. All Namjoon knew was that you almost killed your best friend and we were worried."

     "And Seokjin?"

     Nari looked at Seokjin, "He was born ideal, the exact type of onyx hybrid they wanted, fierce and calculating, he was always a natural fighter, the perfect red. Jacker's quest for power almost cost Seokjin his life, but it made the perfect situation for Seokjin to escape that life, your father knew Namjoon would take him in, Cato wouldn't get his hold on him. I told you, your father knew Seokjin was special, but not as their soldier, as the one person who could take down Jacker."

     "Why is Jacker so afraid of Seokjin and I being together?" Jungkook leaned in, eager for answers.

     "Jacker believes the prophecy about the Onyx wiping out the werewolves, but he also believes your aura is a hindrance to you, and not as much of a threat as with Seokjin. He believed he could mold you to do his bidding."

     "So why did Destra mention killing me?" Jungkook's head was swimming, he found it hard to process all this new information, to distinguish the truth from the lies.

     "I'm not going to lie, I believed with Seokjin's history and his family's legacy, that he could have been the one the prophecy talked about. That is why I was so happy to know you bonded, you're like the yin to his yang." She smiled, warmly. "In Jacker's eyes, it could go either way, you could either unite the Onyx and werewolves or you can destroy them..and both of those are a threat to his plans."

     "Destra mentioned Jungkook would show signs...signs of what?" Seokjin asked. Nari took another swig from the cup, swirling the cup around. She looked at Jungkook, her eyes filled with sorrow.

     "Your conception didn't come without consequences, they would have wanted to make sure you weren't ordinary, they didn't want any human weakness to impede their plans..and with a witches influence, they could make you so much more than just a typical hybrid. I don't really know what those signs are, I don't know if they are good..." Nari sighed and looked down. "Or bad."

     "What happened to Seokjin's grandfather?" Jungkook pressed, Nari looked up suddenly, an uneasy look upon her face. Seokjin thought she looked scared.

     "No one knows, everyone assumes he's dead, but no one ever saw a body." she replied, "If he were alive, someone would have heard something by now."

     "I never assume anything." Seokjin retorted.

     "There was a rumor that he went underground, to recruit and build his army of half-breeds." Nari rested her hand on top of Jungkook's and squeezed. "Jacker tortured your father to the point that he found out many things he should have never known."

     "So he could still be running around trying to fulfill his dream." Seokjin rested his head on his palm, looking down at the table. The perfect killing machine, engineered by his own blood to take part in such a horrendous act. This was one thing he was happy to be a failure at. "Why is he so hell-bent on wiping out the werewolves?"

     "It goes back a long ways, he is the son of a god, so he was bred to believe the werewolves are the enemy." Nari responded then turned her attention back to Jungkook, "I hope you understand why I had to keep this quiet."

     "I guess I do." Jungkook shrugged, he sort of did but he was still very hurt that no one ever trusted him enough with the truth. She saw in his face that he wasn't happy about it. He turned to Seokjin, "Can you give us a minute?"

     Seokjin stared at Jungkook for several moments before standing, nodding. "Yeah, sure."

 

     Taehyung had been avoiding being in a room with Yoongi alone since the kiss, he wasn't quite sure where he wanted to go with this whole thing, he liked Yoongi, but he wasn't exactly sure just how much. It was all futile since Yoongi had followed him down to the lab, carrying Destra's body. After he had set it down on the table, Yoongi turned to him, staring straight into his soul.

     "Did I make you uncomfortable?" Yoongi asked, leaning against the counter, giving him that look, the one that screamed out _I want to have sex with you._ Taehyung couldn't look up, he was sure that was making Yoongi question whether or not he had made a mistake.

     "N-No, I'm okay." Taehyung turned on the overhead lamp above the table, focusing his attention on the mummified corpse. "What the hell should I do with her?"

     "Can't eat her like that." Yoongi kidded and Taehyung smiled, he looked up at Yoongi. 

     _Tell him how you feel, you owe him that._ "I like you, but I don't know if I'm ready for any of this." Taehyung confided, blushing. He didn't mean for it to come out like that, but looking at Yoongi standing there, his heart sped up, thumping out in his chest a bit harder than he expected.

     "I'm not in a hurry." Yoongi assured him. "Do you want me to leave?"

     "No," Taehyung yelled out, a little too fast.  "No, you're fine. If you wanna stay I mean."

     Yoongi grinned, he scratched the back of his neck, looking back down at the body. "Well, I don't want to bury her, so a bonfire sounds good."

     Taehyung giggled, "Roast some marshmallows too?"

     Seokjin walked in, stopping short when he saw they were both smiling at each other. "Hey." He looked to them both and they affixed their eyes on him, "Interrupting?"

     "If you have some weenies you wanna roast, I suggest you bring them, we're burning this bitch." Yoongi smirked.

     Seokjin didn't know if he was kidding or not and he didn't really care. "We may have a problem."

     "What now?" Taehyung groaned.

     "Jungkook may have some abilities that could be dangerous." Seokjin poked Destra's crusty arm, "Jesus, why is she so crunchy?"

     "She's 600 years old, you don't exactly die gracefully at that age." Taehyung informed him, "What do you mean abilities?"

     "Jungkook's conception was..." Seokjin had a sour look on his face, "Complicated."

     "I'm afraid to ask." Taehyung cleared his throat, he leaned against the table, glancing at Yoongi. What is so attractive about a white-haired vampire he had to wonder, an old cranky, solitary vampire. _Why would he want to be with me? I can't even fight. I'm afraid of freaking spiders and I'm dead..undead._

     "Taehyung?" Seokjin waved his hand in front of Taehyung and Yoongi looked up, noticing he was being stared at. Taehyung shook his head, snapping himself out of his daydream.

     "Have you noticed anything weird?" Yoongi focused his attention back to Seokjin, giving Taehyung a moment to recover.

     "No, have you?" Seokjin was feeling a bit awkward standing between the two of them.

     "Well he's got a temper, but who doesn't." Yoongi shrugged.

     Seokjin felt the tension between the two of them. "You know what, I'll come back. You two have some shit to work out." He frowned.

     "No." Taehyung shook his head, "I'm good."

     "Sure." Seokjin differed on that, "But, I'm leaving all the same."

      Yoongi watched Seokjin leave the room, he looked back at Taehyung who turned his attention back to Destra. He walked over and stood behind Taehyung, he grasped Taehyung's waist and pulled him back so that his butt was leaning against his pelvis. Taehyung swallowed hard, he didn't know what Yoongi was doing, but he knew his heart had skipped a beat, maybe even stopped for a few seconds. He could feel Yoongi's warm breath on his neck. He gripped on to the table, trying to block out the thoughts that were running through his head.

     "I'll be in my room if you want to talk," Yoongi whispered in Taehyung's ear making him tremble. He closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself, when he opened them again, all he saw a blur and then the door swing open, banging against the wall with a thump, Yoongi was gone.

 

     Taehyung found himself at Yoongi's door moments later, he didn't know why he knocked and he didn't know why he walked in when Yoongi opened the door.

     "I wasn't sure if I should come up-" Taehyung closed the door and turned around, Yoongi was face to face with him. He flinched backward, banging his back against the door. Yoongi smirked.

     Yoongi tilted his head slightly to the side, looking into Taehyung's eyes, he then glanced down at his lips, licking his own. Taehyung gulped, unsure of what to do.

     "Are you scared?" Yoongi asked him, reaching down to undo Taehyung's belt.

     "I don't..know." Taehyung felt weak, he looked into Yoongi's eyes. He was feeling _something_ , but he didn't think it was fear.

     "I won't hurt you." Yoongi leaned in a kissed Taehyung's lips, gently, as he pulled the belt out of the loops and threw it down to the floor. Taehyung took a deep breath, it felt good, too good. He felt chills run through his body, but also felt warm at the same time, especially in his mid region. Yoongi clutched the back of his neck, working his way down to his Adam's apple. This was Taehyung's first time ever being intimate with someone and he had no clue what he was doing.

     "I've never done this before." He muttered, afraid that Yoongi was going to laugh at him, but he didn't.

     "It's okay." Yoongi grinned, the one side of his mouth turned up a bit more than the other and Taehyung found that sexy. "I'll take care of you."

     He reached his hand under Taehyung's shirt and undid the button on his pants. Taehyung was shaking, he felt...things...happening to his body; tingling and butterflies and a sudden rush of blood to his head that made him a tad dizzy, he gulped again. 

     Yoongi knew he had to be gentle with Taehyung right now, no matter how much he desired to throw him down on the bed and have his way with him. Yoongi pressed up against him, grinding a bit, feeling the outline of Taehyung's hardened cock under his jeans. He grabbed Taehyung's hand and led him over to the bed.

     "Relax," Yoongi whispered in his ear as he glided his hands up Taehyung back, slowly sliding off his shirt, Taehyung's body was very appealing, he wondered why he always hid it behind long-sleeved shirts and hoodies all the time. Yoongi pushed him down to the bed.

      _Relax. Right._ Not so easy to do with your half-naked body hanging out and a stiffy longing to be free.

      "Since this is your first time, I'm going to let you cum inside of me." Yoongi straddled Taehyung's hips. He felt being on top, letting Taehyung be inside of him would be the easiest, less scary and he could control everything from this position. Yoongi liked being in control. Taehyung just nodded, he trusted Yoongi's judgment, since he was more experienced with this. "Would you be more comfortable with a condom?"

     "No, no condom." Taehyung's voice cracked. Yoongi smiled. Taehyung was nervous, he had no good reason to say no to protection, except that he had heard Jimin say it didn't feel as good when he wore one. Yoongi may have been tough most of the time, but right now, the elder was being so tender and understanding, Taehyung felt like he could relax.

     

     As expected, his first time was over pretty quick, he felt he needed to apologize to Yoongi for not being able to hold out, Yoongi understood. The sensations Taehyung felt were unexplainable.. like nothing he had ever felt before. He couldn't help it, he practically exploded.

     "My first time lasted 2 minutes." Yoongi let out a small laugh.

     "Was Seokjin your first?" Taehyung didn't know why he asked that.

     "No, I didn't really count them all." Yoongi frowned, hoping that didn't make him sound like a slut. "And with Seokjin, we were both drunk."

     "Sorry, it's none of my business." Taehyung wasn't sure if he should wrap his arms around Yoongi, he didn't think the elder was much of a cuddler.

     "It's okay, I kind of regret his first time couldn't have been more special..but he has Jungkook now, so it doesn't matter." Yoongi reached over and took Taehyung's hand in his own. For such a small guy, Yoongi had big hands, nearly the same size as Taehyung's.

     Their moment was short-lived, Seokjin burst through the door, "Get dressed, we gotta go." He tossed Yoongi's shirt to him as Taehyung tried to cover up with the blanket, feeling shy. "Meet me downstairs in five." He called behind him and was out the door just as quick as he came in.

     "What the hell is going on?" Taehyung exclaimed, watching Yoongi stand and get dressed.

     "I don't know." He leaned in and kissed Taehyung, "But I'll be back"

     He grabbed his shoes and headed out the door, Taehyung sat up. "Shit."

     His phone buzzed and he reached over to his pants that were laying beside him and grabbed it, it was a text from Jungkook.

     **My mom is missing.**

 **Missing? What do you mean missing?** He sent back, grabbing his shirt and slipping it on.

     **She's gone, her room is ransacked. I think she was taken**. Jungkook answered back.

     **Where are you now?** Taehyung sent the text and grabbed his pants and slipped them on, looking for his shoes.

     **Namjoon's office.** He read aloud. "Where the hell are my shoes?" He called out to no one. He found one under the bed and the other in a plant across the room. He slipped them on and then went to the door, looking back at the bed for a moment, he smiled. _What a day._ He walked out and closed the door, and headed down the stairs to Namjoon's office.

 

* * *

So...Taegi lol.  This chapter took a bit longer than I wanted because I had to keep thinking how to word things, ugh lol It ended up being mostly dialogue, but there should be some nice action in the next. Thanks for reading this far!! <3


	28. Nari

     Yoongi heard a scream coming from the area where the castle graveyard sat, he looked over at Seokjin across the field, who had heard it too and who was already making his way towards the cemetery. They reached the gates at the same time, stopping for a moment to look at each other, planning mentally how they would handle this.

     Yoongi scanned the area, "I don't see anything."

     Seokjin sniffed the air, "I smell them."

     Yoongi bent down, scouring the ground for clues, "Two large henchmen and a dragged body." He surmised. Two pairs of footprints were embedded in the dirt leading towards the back part of the graveyard, alongside a drag mark, about the size of a small human, dug into the earth. They suspected it was from Nari, suggesting that she had indeed, been abducted.

     "How large?" Seokjin asked.

     "Large enough to almost be a threat." Yoongi stood back up, zipping up his hoody. "Come on."

     They inched forward, following the footprints. The atmosphere was quiet, not one insect was abuzz, no chirping or hissing could be heard anywhere, it was unnerving, it meant that there was probably a good deal of activity in the trees tonight. Yoongi threw on a pair of leather gloves, his 'some shit is about to go down gloves.'

     "More footprints leading off that way too." Yoongi pointed out as they reached the midpoint of the cemetery.

      "What the hell..." Seokjin stopped short when he got to his parent's graves, the stones were ripped out of the ground and laid broken in the grass, tossed aside like trash. He balled up his fists in outrage, his temper was taking over. Yoongi looked over to witness him changing into his hybrid form. Seokjin ripped his shirt from his body, growling out as his body contorted, his bones cracked and grew, hair sprouted out every inch of his body, his eyes turning their usual complete black. Yoongi couldn't look away, he was in awe of the raw power he was seeing. Seokjin glared at him as his fangs grew down past his lip, a small howl escaped and Yoongi gave him a nod. The next instant Seokjin tore off through the bushes at full speed.

     Yoongi was about to follow after him, when he spied something glowing from the corner of his eye, he quickly turned around as two tiny, bright red creatures stepped out from behind the tree line, examining him. _Hell Spawn._ What the heck were hell spawn doing here on earth? They weren't especially dangerous, they could leave bad burn marks on your skin if they came in contact, but other than that the pocket-sized fire bipeds were pretty easy to beat. They didn't give Yoongi time to prepare, the pair leaped onto his back, scorching the back of his neck with their fiery hands, he yelled out as he grabbed one and slammed it onto the ground, shaking his hand to cool it off. He smashed its face in with his boot, grossed out by the amount of slime that shot out from under his foot and set his boot on fire.

     "Serves you right, you little fucker." Yoongi laughed out, stamping out the flames on his sole before he received a painful reminder there was one still on his back. "Agghhh."

     He spun around several times trying to get the thing to fly off, but it held on so tight, Yoongi felt like his skin would melt off at any minute. Without thinking, he flung himself backward, landing hard on his back, smushing the foul creature underneath his weight. He rolled over and stood then turned towards it, giving it a small tap with his foot, making sure it was dead. The reddish goo that was covering his jacket began to smoke as the slime bore it's way through the thin fabric, leaving behind tiny burn holes. He slipped it off and threw it down, grabbing at his neck. He could feel small blisters popping up on his tender skin, it felt like it was on fire.

      Hoseok came running through the brush behind him, stopping short. He he saw the bright red skin underneath Yoongi's hand as he approached, "Jesus, that looks bad." He reached out and placed his palm on the back of Yoongi's neck, Yoongi winced, pushing him away.

      "Don't touch it." Yoongi yelled at him.

      "Don't be such a big baby." Hoseok grabbed Yoongi's neck again and closed his eyes, a few seconds later, a bright green glow swallowed his hand, illuminating the ground around them and fizzling out just as quick, when he removed it, the burning sensation Yoongi had been feeling moments earlier, was gone, and so were the blisters, his neck left only with a blanched imprint of a hand. "I think you forget I'm a witch." Hoseok frowned.

     "Thanks." Yoongi twitched his head, thanking someone was a sentiment he rarely conveyed, it felt so odd coming from his lips.

      "Go find Seokjin, I think he might be in trouble," Hoseok ordered and Yoongi looked at him, indignant. "Hurry."

      Yoongi was tempted to grab him up and tell him not to order him around, but he figured now was not that time, maybe Seokjin _was_ in trouble. "We'll discuss the hierarchy roles of the castle when I return."

     "Look forward to it," Hoseok smirked, looking over at the broken headstones.

     Yoongi rushed off towards the trees, disappearing into the brush. Hoseok bent down to pick up Seokjin's parents gravestone when something grabbed his foot and dragged him down to the ground, the stone flew up into the air, he managed to scurry out of the way just in time as the gravestone slammed down into the ground where his head had just been. _Holy shit!_

     He glanced down to his foot, trying to see what had taken hold of him, but without warning, the tentacle tensed up and began to drag him once more, along the dirt and through the trees - snagging each and every rock and bump along the way. He tried to seize several tree trunks, _anything_ to stop him from being dragged, but his hands only scraped along the bark, shaving off the first layer of his skin. Somehow he managed to grasp onto the metal fencing that surrounded the area, his body lurched a few times as the thing tried to pry him off, but Hoseok's grip for life wouldn't budge. Hoseok shook his foot, by some miracle breaking free. He stood up and brushed himself off, looking down at his raw palms. The trees began to part at the top, the snapping of the branches caused the leaves to fall into his hair, Hoseok glared up at it, gulping - fifteen feet above him stood a dark creature, it's white glowing eyes staring down at him as it's mouth drew up into a menacing smile. It's labored breathing made Hoseok shiver, he was unable to move, all he could do was stare at it, paralyzed.

     The creature roared out, Hoseok covered his ears to drown out the horrendous pitch, only to be hit with a wave of the disgusting dead fish smell that poured out of its mouth.

     "Toothbrush," Hoseok called up to it, swatting away the odor. The creature swung at him, but he dodged it, feeling the air from its enormous fist blow his hair back. "This is not how I wanted to spend my day."

     The creature swung at him again, Hoseok quickly conjured up a force field, blocking the creature's blow, it's hand bounced off the invisible barrier, pissing it off. It banged on it several more times before giving up, wailing out a deafening frustrated growl.

 

     Taehyung looked towards the window, he and Jungkook both walked over and peered out, wondering what the hell caused that god-awful noise.

     "Was that a roar or am I hallucinating sounds now?" Taehyung squinted, trying to see what was outside.

     "We should be out there helping." Jungkook paced the floor, looking at Namjoon's empty chair.

     "We were told to stay here," Taehyung responded, cursing the dusk for coming so quickly, he couldn't see shit past twenty feet.

     "Do you always do what you're told?" Jungkook muttered, walking to the door and grabbing the handle, only to be jolted by a burst of electric. He pulled his hand away quick, "What the fuck?" He poked at the handle, each time a crack of static electricity met his finger.

     "They really don't want you to leave." Taehyung glanced at him and then back to the window.

 

     Hoseok dodged several blows that the creature had thrown his way, retaliating by casting back powerful energy orbs, pelting it with bursts of electrical current. The last one hit it square between the eyes, knocking it off balance. It crashed down with a thunderous thump, shaking the earth. Hoseok took several steps towards it, an energy blast in his palm ready to end its existence.

     A blur whizzed past him, jumped on top of the creature and slammed his fist into its chest cavity, rearranging its internal organs. Hoseok let the blast fizzle out and the area went dark again. He watched Yoongi toss the heart aside and stand back up, wiping the blood on his pants. 

 _This thing could feed Taehyung and me for a month_.  Hoseok daydreamed of monster steaks and monster bone soup and monster brains...fit for a king!

     The creature roared out again - a dejected, suffering whimper, the same rattle as a dying animal would make moments before it succumbed. A small shockwave pulsed out from it, causing Hoseok to fall on his ass, a pronounced 'hmpff' escaped his lips as he looked up, adjusting his eyes to see Yoongi jump down and walk towards him.

     "I can't find Seokjin." Yoongi held out his hand to help him up.

     "Not good." Hoseok hacked, coughing up a bit of blood.

     Before Yoongi could ask if he was okay, Namjoon came clattering down the path towards them, on his trail, six panther-like creatures were snapping their jaws at his heels, trying to make him their next meal. He turned around to face them when he reached Hoseok and Yoongi's side, he held out his palm and the creatures came to an abrupt halt as if hitting an invisible wall. They recovered, shaking their heads side to side, focusing on the three standing in front of them, mashing their teeth grievously.

     "Well ain't this some shit," Hoseok commented.

     "Stand back," Namjoon announced and they moved back behind him, out of the way. Namjoon held up both his palms and raised them upwards, the creatures began to float into the air, meowing out calls of distress. He drew back his hands and then shot them forward and the creatures flew hard into the trees behind them, huffing out death mews as they plummeted to the ground, dead.

     "That's a neat trick." Yoongi looked at Namjoon. "Maybe you can conjure up Seokjin now, I lost him."

     "I'll find him, go back to the house, make sure the kid is okay. He and Taehyung are in my office."

     Yoongi blinked at the mention of Taehyung's name. "Are they okay?"

     "Yeah, be careful, there are still more of these things out there," Namjoon warned and headed off.

 

     Taehyung jumped when the office door opened, he turned around as Yoongi and Hoseok appeared in the doorway. He noticed the small raised, red hand prints on the back of Yoongi's neck as they entered.

     "Just hell spawn, I'm okay," Yoongi answered without being asked.

     "Where is Seokjin?" Jungkook asked, worried.

     "Namjoon is looking for him," Hoseok spoke, sitting in Namjoon's chair, picking bark pieces out of his wounded hands. 

 

     Almost an hour had passed since Yoongi and Hoseok's return. Jungkook was going out of his mind, Seokjin and Namjoon were still out there and his mother was still missing. His mind was filled with scenarios and none of them ended well for anyone...and the questions that kept running through his mind - How the hell did someone get into the castle and take her without being seen? and why? Between pacing the floors and pressing his face against the window to try to see something..anything, he was making Yoongi irritated.

     "Would you calm down for fuck sake," Yoongi shouted at him.

     Jungkook stopped to shoot him a dirty look, he was not in the mood for Yoongi right now. "If you don't like it, fucking leave." He spat back, continuing to pace.

     "Pacing the floors and slamming your nose against the glass isn't going to help get him back any faster." Yoongi stood up, his body tense.

     "Why are you always on my ass?" Jungkook stopped in front of Yoongi, a little too close.

     Taehyung stood and walked over, placing himself in front of Yoongi, facing Jungkook, "Don't do this now." Taehyung pleaded.

     Yoongi pushed Taehyung aside, staring daggers at Jungkook, who stared back just as intense. Taehyung straightened up, shocked.

     "You think fighting right now is any help to Seokjin?" Taehyung shouted at Yoongi, "At least he's trying to cope, you're just being an asshat." Taehyung shook his head and walked out of the room.

     Yoongi looked towards the door, he probably should have followed after Taehyung, but he turned back to Jungkook, his eyes threatening to burn a hole through the younger, he was far too angry to walk away right now. He didn't even know why he was so mad, or why this kid just rubbed him the wrong way lately. It didn't help that Jungkook broke his hand earlier that week either.

     Namjoon coming through the door broke their staring contest, Jungkook's demeanor changed in an instant when noticed their leader was alone. "Where's Seokjin? Did you find my mother?"

     "No." Namjoon shuffled over to his chair, Hoseok stood and moved out of the way, Namjoon slunk down into the seat.

     "No? So why did you come back?" Jungkook yelled.

     "I'm calling in the guards." Namjoon picked up his phone.

     "Are you fucking kidding me?" Jungkook slammed his palms on the desk. Yoongi and Hoseok looked at each other, confused.

     "Guards?" Yoongi interrupted.

     "They can do a sweep of the property-"

     "They don't need guards, they need you to kick ass-" Yoongi shook his head, wondering what the hell he was missing.

     "Do something, Namjoon!" Jungkook begged.

     "I can't," Namjoon answered, anguished. "I can't do anything."

     "Why can't you?" Jungkook stepped back, his eyes wide, he was fuming.

     "If I interfere too much-"  Namjoon slumped down in the chair, covering his eye with his hand, ashamed. "I'll lose my immortality."

     "What are you talking about?" Yoongi stood beside Jungkook, staring in bewilderment at Namjoon.

     "I can protect you, but I can't alter anything." Namjoon didn't bother to look up at their shocked faces. "This has to play out."

     "What has to play out?" Jungkook shook his head, their fearless leader had a secret, which was coming out at the worst possible time.

     "My trip with Nari was to the council." Namjoon put the phone back down and leaned up. "I can't interfere with what Seokjin has to do..or what is going to happen as a result of that."

     "What are you talking about?" Jungkook had an ominous chill run through him.

     "I have to remain neutral." Namjoon stood, he knew they were all questioning what the hell that could mean. "Seokjin has to face this without my help or I die."

     Yoongi's face fell, almost as much as Jungkook's. "Why?" He muttered out.

     "It's the will of the council, for reasons that might not make sense to us." Namjoon sulked to the window. 

     "So then you're useless." Jungkook screamed at him, making Namjoon jump. "If you're not going to do anything, then I fucking will."

     Jungkook turned to walk to the door, when Seokjin, clad only a pair of ripped pants, walked in clutching his side, blood staining his skin, several cuts covered his face and chest, he looked like he had been in a war. He went straight for Namjoon, grabbing his shirt and pushing him against the wall with such force, it shook.

     "You left me out there.." Seokjin's eyes were black, his fangs extended. He drew back his fist and punched Namjoon in the nose. Namjoon grabbed his nose looking Seokjin in the eyes, not resisting. 

     "Seokjin..Not now," Yoongi grabbed Seokjin and pulled him back, leading him out of the room. Jungkook just stared at Namjoon, disgusted.

 

     Yoongi helped Seokjin up on the table in the lab, as Taehyung walked in. He pushed Seokjin's hand away from his side and looked at the wound, the crimson liquid had already stained the hem of his pants a deep red. Taehyung knew that meant he had been bleeding for a while.

     "Easy." Seokjin grimaced, he looked as if he were about to vomit.

     "What did this?" Taehyung asked, grabbing a piece of gauze. He dabbed the wound, making Seokjin wince.

     "Something sharp." Seokjin smirked, feeling tired all of a sudden.

     Jungkook hurried in and over to him. "Did you see my Mom?" 

     Seokjin shook his head, "No." He looked up at Taehyung, "I think it was an Onyx, except it was bigger. Much bigger than me."

     Taehyung grabbed the peroxide and washed the wound off, Seokjin's face contorted in pain, but he did not move. "It's not healing fast at all."

     "I know." Seokjin hissed, grabbing on to Jungkook's shoulder to try to distract himself from the shooting pain.

     "I think you're gonna need stitches." Taehyung looked at him apologetically.

      "Do what you have to." Seokjin nodded, staring into Jungkook's eyes. The younger was glaring back at him, the deepest blue irises Seokjin had seen yet. "Don't worry." He squeezed the younger's shoulder.

     "Easier said than done." Jungkook felt as though he could cry, between the look on Seokjin's face and thinking about what could be happening to his mother right now, his emotions were spent.

 

     Taehyung finished up with the stitches and set the needle down on his tray, admiring his handiwork. He grabbed a bandage and wrapped it, careful not to touch the wound. He studied the lesions on Seokjin's face, most of which had already healed, he figured nature would heal those just fine. "You should get some rest." He pushed the tray away and stood, walking over to the sink to wash the blood from his hands.

     "I'm not tired. I just want answers." Seokjin stood, leaning against the table to study himself. Jungkook held out his arm and Seokjin grabbed it.

     "We all do, but exhausting yourself won't help anyone." Yoongi pointed out.

     "Fine." He grabbed Jungkook's hand, too tired to protest. "I'll be in his room."

 

     Jungkook helped Seokjin on to the bed, then sat down next to him. "What happened out there?"

     "I think I met my grandfather." Seokjin rotated his shoulders, cracking them. "Never in my life have I felt that kind of strength."

     "Why do you think it was him?" Jungkook removed his shoes, then laid his head in the elder's lap.

     "Familiarity, I can't explain, I just knew him." Seokjin looked down at Jungkook, "I don't know why he popped up now or what he would want with your mother."

     Jungkook's mother, he had forgotten for a second that she was missing, he sat up. "We need to find her."

     Seokjin nodded pulling the younger into an embrace. "We will."

     Jungkook wrapped his arms around Seokjin, settling into the crook of his neck, he didn't feel like she was hurt, but something was going on. He also wasn't sure that she didn't go willingly, like this could have all been a setup from the beginning. "My mom knows Namjoon can't help us." He sat back up.

     Seokjin studied Jungkook's features, "You don't trust her, do you?"

     Jungkook looked down, "No, not really." He looked back up Seokjin, his eyebrows raised, a huge frown stretched across his mouth. "She's been gone a long time and she's already lied to me." Jungkook looked so pitiful, Seokjin couldn't help but feel bad for him.

     "We should talk to Namjoon." Seokjin was exhausted, but the 'not knowing' would eat away at him, he wouldn't be able to sleep unless he talked to their leader.

     Jungkook could only nod. He was afraid to think his mother could have played him...but for what purpose?

     

     Namjoon was seated at his desk, his head rested on the top of his hands, he didn't feel he could be a proper leader right now, Seokjin and Jungkook staring at him from the seats in front of his desk, made him feel even smaller.

     "You're right, it was him." Namjoon looked up finally, it seemed as though he had been trying to make sense of it in the last three minutes since they had been there, either that or figure out a way to break the news to them, careful not to incite a riotous reaction. "Cato is back. Why now? I don't know."

     Jungkook remembered when he has asked his mother about where Cato was, she had looked up suddenly, he didn't realize it then, but her eyes were fearful, like she knew something, but couldn't say it. "So she knows you're not allowed to help us?"

     Namjoon nodded, walking to the window. "Convenient timing."

     Jungkook's face felt warm, he was close to raging, he reminded himself to keep calm. He couldn't assume this was planned, that she was a part of it, but he wasn't naive to the fact that she could be either.

     "Jacker is going back to his mansion." Seokjin remembered, "Cato's return could be a big problem for him too, he's going to want to be rid of the threat as much as we are."

     "Too bad he would never make an alliance." Namjoon frowned.

     "Wouldn't he though?" Seokjin had a wild expression on his face, "A temporary truce would be in his best interests."

     "Have you lost your mind, we can't trust him." Jungkook sputtered, convinced the elder must have hit his head.

     "I didn't say we trust him, but we have a much bigger threat right now than Jacker." Seokjin reasoned, "If I go to him unarmed and plead the case-"

     "Fuck no." Jungkook yelled, "No way in hell, he'll just kill you."

     "He can't do this alone and neither can we." Seokjin grabbed Jungkook by the shoulders, "I'm going to need you to do me a favor, though?"

     "I don't know how to carve tombstones," Jungkook was half-kidding. 

     "Kookie-"

     "What favor?" Jungkook was afraid to ask.

     "I'm going to need you to find the second dagger." Seokjin informed him, "I don't think he'll trust me if I don't bring the one we have to him as a peace offering."

     "Seokjin-"

     "Please, Jungkook," Seokjin pleaded, "I know how crazy it sounds-"

     "Crazy doesn't even begin to describe this." Jungkook exhaled loudly, how was he supposed to agree to this?

     "I'll have Yoongi go with me, it'll be okay." 

     "That doesn't make me feel better." Jungkook looked to Namjoon, "Please tell him you don't agree with this?"

     "I think it's the best option right now." Namjoon knew the risks, he didn't like it any more than Jungkook did. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." He quoted.

      "The enemy is death and Jacker would love to provide that." Jungkook shook his head, turning back to Seokjin, staring at him for a moment, he couldn't believe he had to be okay with this. "I'll find the dagger."

      Seokjin grabbed Jungkook by the back of the head and pulled him in for a kiss. "It'll be okay."

 

     Jungkook watched from the front door as Yoongi climbed into the passenger seat of Seokjin's car, then up at Seokjin, who took the box that held the dagger from him.

     "Don't worry." Seokjin's half-smile did nothing to calm Jungkook's nerves.

     "I don't like this." Jungkook quickly wiped away the stray tear that ran down his cheek.

     Seokjin pulled him and hugged him, tight. Jungkook could barely breathe. He looked into the younger's eyes, wiping the tears from them. "I love you."

     Jungkook's heart sank, he felt like this was goodbye. "You better come back, I swear to god."

     Seokjin took a deep breath, "Just find that other dagger."

     "I will," Jungkook assured him. He watched as Seokjin walked over to the car, opening the driver's side door. "Seokjin!"

     Seokjin looked up, "Yeah?"

     "I love you too." Jungkook sucked in his lips, holding back his tears. Seokjin smiled at him, staring at the younger a few moments before getting into the car. He put it in drive and pulled away, watching in his rearview mirror as those familiar blue eyes disappeared behind them, out of sight. 

     "This isn't going to be easy." Yoongi looked out at the sun blaring down on them, he slipped on his sunglasses and laid his head back.

     "Never is." Seokjin blinked, throwing the car into 5th gear, he stepped on the gas and sped off down the road at full speed.

 

* * *

 


	29. Truce?

     Seokjin pulled through the gates of Jacker's estate, it hadn't been that long since he had last been here, his heart was beating too hard in his chest. But, he wasn't fearful, if anything Seokjin was dreading have to play nice with the enemy - this would have to be the acting job of his life, his performance would have to be perfect, he'd have to hold back his anger and stop himself from just ramming the dagger into the asshole's chest right here and now. He sighed. Yoongi was sound asleep, his face was plastered against the window. Seokjin stopped hard and Yoongi's face slid down the glass, jolting him awake.

     "Ass," Yoongi cursed him, wiping the stream of drool off his chin.

     "Ready to go make a deal with the enemy?" Seokjin put the car in park and turned off the ignition. 

     "This is the worst idea in the history of worst ideas, you realize that?" Yoongi unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door, stretching his legs.

     "It's your positivity that I value most about our friendship." Seokjin opened his door and grabbed the boxed dagger, standing up. They were surrounded by at least fifteen men in a matter of a few seconds, all aiming guns straight at them.

     "I'm feeling a trust issue here." Yoongi held up his hands. Two men came forward, frisking him for weapons, two others did the same to Seokjin, a third man nabbed the box and checked inside, running his hand along the pommel of the dagger and smiling.

     "Jacker in his office?" Seokjin asked one of the men, pointing towards the house. The man was not amused, they pushed the two of them forward with their guns, marching them through the front doors.

 

     Jacker was in his office, sitting on the edge of his desk. The window behind him was still broken from the last altercation, a chilly breeze flowed through, blowing his hair. He watched as Seokjin was pushed in first, followed by two men pointing their guns at him, then Yoongi and another two men. One of the men handed the box to Jacker and then resumed his position behind Seokjin, his stare was intense, but the shaking gun that the man aimed at his head, suggested he was terrified. Seokjin never did understand why Jacker used so many humans.

     "Well I must say, this is not what I was expecting when I saw you pull up." Jacker took out the dagger and looked at it, making sure it was authentic.

     "I like suicide missions, what can I say?" Seokjin grinned.

     Jacker set the dagger back in the box and threw it on the couch, then stood and walked over to Seokjin. "Bold move coming back here." He hit Seokjin in the gut, and Seokjin let out a gasp of air, closing his eyes, as he fought to contain himself.

     "I'm sure by now you know Cato has resurfaced?" Seokjin cleared his throat, trying his hardest not to scowl.

     "I've heard some rumors." Jacker looked at Yoongi then turned back to go lean on his desk. "So you want a truce?"

     "Something like that." Seokjin clenched his fists.

     Jacker laughed, followed by his men. "Two are stronger than one?"

     "Alone we both die, together we have a chance." Seokjin wanted to throw up in his mouth, saying these words made him sick.

     "There's just one thing." Jacker raised his eyebrows, "I don't trust you."

      "Mutual." Yoongi chimed in.

      Jacker turned his head to look at Yoongi, analyzing his face to find some sort of emotion. "Where's Destra?" Jacker stood.

     "She had an accident." Yoongi smiled, his gaze stayed focused straight ahead, like he was too good to look Jacker in the eye, or too scared, Jacker wasn't sure.

     "Your arrogance intrigues me." Jacker stood in front of Yoongi, looking him up and down. "You're at a huge disadvantage right now, but you still maintain your disrespect."

      _Shit._ Seokjin knew what Jacker was doing. Yoongi was not the type to bow down to someone that he disliked, not for any cause.

     Yoongi made a face, much like he had a bad taste in his mouth, he looked Jacker in the eyes. "I don't feign grand delusions." He shrugged, "I don't respect you."

     "You expect me and my team to trust you, you come here wanting a truce, but you can't even act the part." Jacker smirked, enjoying every moment of this. "I don't think we can oblige."

     "Well, it's your death." Yoongi didn't try to contain his disgust, "Cato isn't interested in the vampires. So I don't really give two fucks what you do."

     "Fair enough." Jacker couldn't deny that made sense. "Then your presence here is of no use to me." He looked at one of his men, they cocked their gun, Yoongi didn't flinch. Jacker cracked a smile. "Smug until the end."

     The man fired off a shot, but Seokjin stepped in the path of the bullet, flinching as it cut through the flesh in his shoulder, turning just as fast to grab the gun from the man who shot it and elbowing him straight to the nose, breaking it and killing him. He popped out the clip and threw the gun down. "You made your point."

     "So you're willing to die for him? What would dear Jungkook have to say about that?" Jacker's grin made Seokjin want to grab that dagger and ram it through his heart right now.

     "Cut the games, you're either okay with this little arrangement or you can fuck off." Yoongi announced, "No one is going to pretend this is something it's not."

     "I just want a little mutual assurance." Jacker shrugged.

     "You have the dagger." Seokjin insisted, the bullet in his shoulder was starting to burn, he could feel the liquid pouring out into him, "If I'm not mistaken, the only thing that can kill you."

     "You can be sure that once this is over, I won't hesitate to slaughter you," Jacker confessed, but Seokjin just smirked. "The dagger was a foolish move, but effective."

     "Do we have a deal or not?" Seokjin was growing tired of Jacker's voice.

     "I will not answer to you."  His shrill tone gave Seokjin a headache. "If this is going to work, I answer only to Namjoon."

     "Done." Seokjin agreed, he could live with that, the less he had to deal with Jacker, the better off everyone was. 

     "One other thing," Jacker's face turned serious real quick. "I want the kid, Jimin."

     "We don't know where he is." Seokjin uttered, even if he did, he wouldn't give Jacker the satisfaction, Jimin was for Taehyung to deal with.

     "All I want is your word you won't interfere." Jacker grinned, "We already know where he is."

     Yoongi shrugged, "Do what you want, he's not our concern."

     "Good." Jacker went and sat behind his desk. "You're free to go, I'll be in contact soon."

 

     Yoongi shot Seokjin a disapproving look as they opened the car doors. He glared up at the second-floor window, where Jacker was staring down at them, a too smug grin spread across his mouth. "One for the history books - the dumbest deals of the 21st century."

     Seokjin turned to look where Yoongi was and then got in his car, he didn't want to think about what just happened. He started it up and Yoongi got in too, they pulled away and down the road several miles before pulling off where Seokjin scrambled out of the car to throw up.

     "This is gonna hurt like a bitch-" Yoongi secured the velcro on his gloves and then grabbed him by the shoulders and leaned him against the car to fish out the bullet. Seokjin cringed at the intrusion of two fingers digging around in his flesh. After what seemed like an eternity, Yoongi pulled the bullet out and threw it down on to the pavement, wiping his fingers on the back of Seokjin's jacket. Yoongi grabbed Seokjin's arm and pulled him around so that he was facing him.

     "What?" Seokjin knew Yoongi was going to lecture him.

     "You've lost your edge Seokjin, being with Jungkook has made you soft." Yoongi scoffed.

     "Shut up." Seokjin pushed Yoongi back.

     "I'm not even kidding." Yoongi shook his head and turned around to lean his butt against the car, crossing his arms.

     "Being a cocky ass almost got you killed." Seokjin pointed out.

     "He knew you would step in front of that bullet, because you're a little bitch now." Yoongi argued, "You're too easy to read-"

     "I'm not any different," Seokjin grumbled, but he knew he was.

     "Jungkook is your weakness and everyone knows that, they will use that against you." Yoongi declared, "You're powerless"

     "What do you want me to do, pretend I'm not attached to him?" Seokjin was becoming angry.

     "Yeah, don't be so god-damned transparent, since when do you step in front of a bullet for me?" Yoongi complained.

     "I would have always." Seokjin insisted.

     "No, you would have grabbed the person threatening me and ripped out their fucking heart and not cared what happened to me." Yoongi was exasperated, "That guy is gone."

     "That's bullshit." Seokjin disagreed.

     "But it's not, you have something to care about now." Yoongi yelled, "And as long as they know that, they will manipulate you like a fucking puppet."

     Seokjin thought back to all the times recently that he had overlooked Jungkook's annoying habits, thinking they were cute little quirks. He had let Jacker get away because Jungkook was dying, more worried about his lover than the big picture. Then today, he made a truce with his enemy, practically begging the man to side with him, even presenting him a peace offering, without even knowing if Jungkook would get the second dagger. Yoongi was right. Jungkook was his weakness and people like Jacker would exploit that at any chance they could.

     "Live like you used to, nothing stopped you from getting the job done." Yoongi straightened back up and walked over to the car door, "Don't let Jungkook be the reason you die."

     Seokjin was quiet the ride back, thinking about what Yoongi said. He didn't know how else he was supposed to be, Jungkook was a part of him now, even if he was a 'weakness'. He couldn't just ignore the fact that he was in love with him or bonded, whatever people wanted to label it. He would die to make sure Jungkook was safe, he didn't consider that a weakness. Problem was - it also made him predictable, Jacker would pull his strings now, and that put all of them at risk.

 

     Hoseok climbed down in a hole, a small cavern dug into the earth in an obscure part of the forest that no one would ever look twice at, let alone climb down into. It was damp and dark and smelled like wet dog. Somehow Hoseok had been 'volunteered' to be the one crawling down into them. He cursed the gods for his thin frame as Jungkook handed down a flashlight. Hoseok shined the flashlight around, studying the rock face for any out of place crevices or magical energy.

     "You see anything?" Jungkook asked hopeful, this was the third hole they found today.

     "I think that prophet has gone crazy, there isn't shit around here," Taehyung added.

     A trip to the prophet earlier that day led to them being out here in the forest for the last two hours. She had told them her reading would probably be off, but she knew the general vicinity of the second dagger. Hoseok was about to give up when he noticed part of the rock to his right had a small crack in it and there was the slightest hint of light shining through, something was hidden behind there.

     "I think I found something," Hoseok called up to him and Jungkook jumped down into the hole.

     "What is it?" Taehyung's head peering in after him.

     "Stand behind me," Hoseok ordered and Jungkook plastered himself against the wall behind him. Hoseok held up his hand to the rock. He closed his eyes and muttered an incantation. The outline of his hand flashed a bright white and Jungkook had to shield his eyes. A large pop sounded out and the wall began to crumble away, revealing what looked a dungeon hallway hidden away behind it. About a dozen lit candles lined the walls, a sparkly dust encircled the flames and Jungkook knew it was pixie magic.

     "Pixie Magic!" Taehyung called out and they both looked up at him with their best 'no shit, Sherlock' faces.

     Hoseok stared into the darkness beyond the candles, he shined the flashlight down the corridor, at the very end was a large wooden door.

     "Jackpot." Jungkook beamed and started to walk, Hoseok reached out to grab his arm to stop him.

     "Wait." He yelled out, but it was too late, Jungkook set off one of the traps and spikes shot out from the wall, piercing his skin in several different places. The younger yelled out and backed away, rejoining Hoseok. "Booby traps."

     "Should be more careful." Taehyung laughed.

     "You wanna die?" Jungkook threatened as he pulled out five long spikes from his abdomen, recoiling at the pain. He ripped two more from both his arms and threw them down to the ground. "This fucking thing better be down here." The last spike he tore from his neck, cursing it.

     "Hortus insidias." Hoseok yelled out, holding up his hand. A rumbling occurred below their feet and then with a loud thud, several traps set off, sending spikes flying every which way. Seconds later, a giant boulder dropped from the ceiling - **THUD** \- the impact made them both stumble. "Never trust a witch."

     "Noted." Jungkook rubbed his stomach, those spikes were painful.

     Hoseok smirked and started off down the corridor, clambering over the boulder to stop in front of the door, Jungkook was reluctant to follow, afraid something else might shoot out at him.

     "What's going on?" Taehyung's voice rung out from the hole, echoing off the walls.

     "Door," Jungkook yelled and then turned to Hoseok, who had his ear pressed to the wood, listening for any signs of life. He reached down to turn the handle, but it was locked.

     "Ugh, you bastards." Hoseok glowered, trying to access if there was magic attached to it, nothing. But there was a keyhole. "We need a key." 

     "Stand back." Jungkook pushed Hoseok away from the door and used his shoulder to knock into the door, thumping against it just hard enough to shake it, on the third try, it burst open. Jungkook almost lost his footing, but Hoseok had grabbed his arm to stop him from falling into the deep pit below. "Holy shit."

     "My life-saving medal will arrive any day," Hoseok smirked, kidding. He couldn't remember if he was at three or four for the number of lives saved within the pack since he joined.

     "How are we gonna get down there?"Jungkook shined the flashlight downward, it looked to be about a twenty-foot drop.

     "Do you trust me?" Hoseok asked him.

     "That depends, Why?" Jungkook answered looking up at him, Hoseok had him encased in a bubble before he could blink. Slowly he floated downwards until he reached the floor of the pit and the bubble popped. His face was frozen in a mixture of fear and excitement. "You're like a walking amusement park" Jungkook called up and Hoseok's laugh echoed through the room as he floated down to join the younger. Jungkook aimed the light ahead of them, there was another door.

     "Two donkeys and a duck through that door, I bet you." Hoseok frowned, "Whatever happened to chests?"

     "Are chests really a thing?" Jungkook began to walk, cautious in case there were any more traps.

      "You'd be surprised." Hoseok turned the handle and to his amazement, it opened, he pushed it open, but something seemed to be blocking it from opening completely. "Yup. Two donkeys, no doubt." 

     "Can you squeeze through that?" Jungkook asked, ignoring his weird comment. He handed him the flashlight.

     Hoseok popped his head inside, shining the light downward to what was blocking the door. "Oh great."

     "What is it?" Jungkook's curiosity was getting the better of them.

     "I wish it were a donkey." Hoseok backed up and turned to Jungkook. "How good are you at sports?"

     "Huh?" Jungkook was confused, "Good I guess, why?"

     "It's a gargoyle, possibly two to three..." Hoseok scrunched up his face, defeated. "...Hundred of them."

     "What?" Jungkook exclaimed, his mouth wide open.

     "The key to this is to be quick.. and a lot of dodging." Hoseok grimaced. 

     "Where is Yoongi when we need him?" Jungkook exhaled, he thought he'd never say that out loud. "What do I need to do?"

     "In the middle of the room, it's floating there, but it's surrounded by a shit-ton of statues, as soon as you touch it, they'll come alive and want to stop you."

      Jungkook clapped his hand together and rubbed them vigorously, psyching himself up. "I can do this."

     "Did you get to say goodbye to Seokjin this morning, because if you don't do this, you're both goners."

     "Your pep talks are the best." Jungkook took a deep breath. "Let's go."

     Hoseok patted him on the back, "Good luck, was nice knowing you."

     Jungkook stepped in front of Hoseok to face the door. He squeezed through the opening, while Hoseok peered in after him shining the light on the prize in the middle. Jungkook took a deep breath, trying not to make too much noise, he took a few steps and looked up at the first gargoyle, it's menacing gaze upon him, with its pale grey stone skin, sharp fangs and rather large pointy horns atop its fat head.

      "You're gonna wanna stay clear of those," Hoseok called out to him and Jungkook turned his head, eyes wide.

      "Shut up." Jungkook scolded him and Hoseok drew his head back, offended that this kid had just told him off.

     Jungkook made his way through the four circles of gargoyle statues, stopping to glare at the dagger that was floating several feet above his head. It looked identical to the one they had before, except instead of an opal in the pommel, there was a moonstone. He exhaled loudly, flexing his hand muscles. He took a gander back at Hoseok who was still peeking through the space in the door. Hoseok gave him a nod and he turned back to the dagger. _I hope death doesn't hurt too bad._ He reached up slowly and wrapped his hand around it, nothing happened. He looked around at the statues, there was no movement. He wiped the sweat from his brow, this was the moment of truth - he pulled the dagger down in a quick motion and turned to face the gargoyles, arms up ready to fight.. _or run_. They remained frozen.

     "Hmm, maybe I was wrong." Hoseok grunted. "Quick, make your way back." 

     Jungkook took a few steps forward, eyeing the statues for any sort of movement. Nothing. _What's the point of this_? He walked over to the door, about to slip through it, when a stone hand reached out, leaned on the door and pushed it shut _. Fuck._ Jungkook didn't want to turn around. He leaned his head against the wood, taking in deep breaths, he could hear shuffling behind him and now felt breathing on his neck, it was surprisingly cold. It sent chills up his spine.

     "Oh god, please don't let me die down here." Jungkook gulped, turning to face the hefty stone statue. He could hear Hoseok banging on the door from the other side. _Break the damn door, Hoseok. Hurry!_  The statue leaned in, examining Jungkook's face, getting so close that Jungkook stepped backward and was flush against the door. It sniffed him and Jungkook turned his face away, closing his eyes. It straightened back up and Jungkook chanced a glance, calming down when he looked back up at it, thinking it went back to being an ugly rock. He was wrong. It began to shed its stone shell, it crumbled off him like a dead layer of skin. Jungkook reached back behind him, trying to turn the knob, but it wouldn't budge.

     "Jungkook! Are you alive?" Hoseok's muffled voice calling out from the other side hit a switch in Jungkook.

     "Get me out of here," Jungkook yelled back and the gargoyle glared back down at him, his lizard-like skin fully free of stone. It opened its mouth and a high pitched screech came out, Jungkook grabbed his ears almost impaling himself with the dagger. Two more gargoyle statues started to crumble, flecks of rock hit the floor in clacks. He felt the floor rumble beneath him, shaking the whole room. _Shit, shit, shit!_

     Taehyung and Hoseok were trying desperately to open the door, thumping against it with their weight. They just bounced off it like it was made of rubber.

     "This isn't working, did you try magic?" Taehyung asked.

     "Yes, I tried everything." Hoseok ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. How was he going to explain to Seokjin that they lost Jungkook to some gargoyles?

 

     Jungkook ducked as the gargoyle 'leader' took a swipe at him, he moved to the side as it smashed it's fist into the door, leaving an elongated crack. Taehyung and Hoseok backed up from the other side, looking at each other.

     "He's gonna die..." Taehyung was distressed.

     "Get it to keep hitting the door." Hoseok yelled through the door.

      "Oh yeah, thanks for the advice." Jungkook's sarcasm was cut short when he had to dodge incoming strikes from the two others that had joined the fight. He moved away from the door and sprinted across the room, the three gargoyles following close behind. He kept sidestepping their attacks, running to the other side of the cave and back, they would bump into each other and the wall each time he cut around the corner. _I'm gonna die down here._

     One of them caught his arm and he swung around losing his balance, he fell and the dagger slid across the room, coming to a stop in front of the door. Jungkook turned over as it slammed it's hand downwards towards him, catching its fist to stop it from hitting him in the face. The thing was strong, he struggled to keep it from progressing down towards his precious nose.

     "They're too strong!" He yelled out, kicking his foot up, he caught it in the stomach and it moved back to recover. Jungkook rolled over and scrambled to stand, as he turned back around, he was caught by a hard blow to the side of his skull, knocking the sense out of him. The second gargoyle was on him instantly, it pushed him against the wall and pummeled him with several excruciating body shots, he doubled over gasping for breath, these things hit hard. It was impossible to concentrate with the ringing in his ear, but somehow his mind wandered to Seokjin..the elder was counting on him, he needed to get back to the castle with that dagger. He let that power him, honing in on the heartbeat as the gargoyle lunged forward. He grabbed it's arm and swung it into the rock wall.

     "This is not how I go out." Jungkook was filled with a fury, a sudden intent to kill something. His revenge was swift, he reciprocated with a combination of body shots and jabs to its face, before kicking it back and making a break for the door. He slid towards the dagger picking it up and then moving aside as they came barreling towards him, they crashed into the door, putting a bigger crack in it.

.    Hoseok held his hand up to the cracks, "Confringes!" He yelled out and the door was encased in a yellow glow, he covered Taehyung with his body as a thumping rung out, the light began eating away at the wood, shooting out dappled sparks every which way. It made a hole just big enough for Jungkook to squeeze through. Hoseok and Taehyung looked inside as Jungkook came bounding towards them, hitting the door as he slid. He handed the dagger to Taehyung and grabbed the sides to pull himself through. Just as he made it outside, the three gargoyles crashed into the door again, causing him to fly forward.

     "Come on." He regained his footing and pushed Taehyung and Hoseok in front of him. The gargoyles broke through the door and chased them through the corridor back to the pit. They began to climb the rocky walls to reach the top.

     "Oh shit, climb faster." Jungkook had looked back down.

     A set of leathery wings burst through the skin on the gargoyle's backs, as they screeched out battle cries that were amplified by the room, it rocked the acoustics like a symphony of dying violins. The trio hurried their pace, reaching the top moments later. One grabbed Hoseok's leg and pulled him up, suspending him in midair, upside down. He screamed out and Jungkook turned towards him, looking up.

     "I'm really not in the mood to hang out right now." Hoseok shrieked and held his palm up, he sent a shockwave through its foot. It dropped him and he fell a few feet before Jungkook leaned over the chasm, narrowly catching him by his ankle. Hoseok's body slammed into the rock face and he yelled out.

     "Sorry." Jungkook managed to pull him up, all while swatting away the lemon-sized rocks he was being pelted with.

     "Are you okay?" Taehyung pulled Hoseok to stand.

     "Yeah. GO!" Hoseok yelled and they took off running again.

   

     They arrived back to the first room. Jungkook gripped the rope and held it taut so Taehyung could climb out, then Hoseok. Hoseok leaned back through the hole, reaching his hand down to Jungkook, "Take my hand-"

     Jungkook made it halfway up the rope, reaching his hand out to grasp Hoseok's when one of the gargoyles grabbed his leg and pulled him off, slamming him hard to the floor and knocking the breath out of him.

     "The dagger cannot leave here." The leader yelled as Jungkook struggled to stand up, he turned to face it and ducked just in time to miss its fist.

     "We need the dagger to kill a demon wolf." Jungkook screamed at it and it stopped, looking at him, head tilted as if it was a dog listening to a whistle.

     "This dagger is meant for a purpose, you cannot remove it from this place." The gargoyle's hoarse voice gave Jungkook chills.

     "If I don't then many people are going to die." Jungkook apologized, he ran for the rope again and felt Taehyung's hand on his shirt, pulling him up. He was up and out of the hole and back to standing position when the gargoyle's burst through the ground. They flew in place for several seconds before the sun hit them and they exploded, the trio shielded themselves as rocks and debris flew out, covering them in an ashy soot.

     "Jesus!" Hoseok exclaimed, brushing off his clothing.  

     "Seokjin better appreciate this." Jungkook frowned, picking bits of rock out of his hair.

     "Come on, we should get going." Taehyung patted Hoseok on his arm.

 

     Jungkook set the dagger down on the lab table and backed up. Seokjin picked it up and studied it. _The last thing Jacker will see before I thrust it into his blackened heart._

     "Thanks." He muttered as he set it back down and leaned against the table, his hands resting on the top, looking down at the floor. Hoseok, Taehyung, and Yoongi were all standing behind him, glaring at it.

     "So it's done? He's agreed to a truce?" Taehyung asked.

     "A temporary arrangement, not a truce." Seokjin corrected him, like that made a difference, he still felt like he sold his soul.

     "So what's next? Tea party?" Hoseok scooted up on the counter, he began playing with the phalanges of the skeleton model that sat in the corner next to him.

     "We figure out what Cato wants." Seokjin sighed, training his eyes on the dagger.

     "Isn't that obvious? He wants domination, death, and destruction," Hoseok announced. 

     "Thank you Hoseok for your keen deduction skills." Seokjin retorted, ignoring Hoseok's offended look.

     "The gargoyles said this dagger was meant for a purpose and that we couldn't remove it." Taehyung mentioned.

     Seokjin peered up at Taehyung for a moment, a look of confusion on his features. Jungkook could sense he was distracted, the elder hadn't even looked at him since they both came down here. He was sure Seokjin was mentally exhausted after dealing with Jacker. Jungkook noticed a red stained bullet hole in the fabric of Seokjin's buttondown.

     "Why is there blood on your shirt?" Jungkook asked, grabbing the back of Seokjin's shirt, Seokjin pulled away. "Were you shot?"

     "Yeah." Seokjin exchanged glances with Yoongi. Jungkook noticed.

     "Jacker shot you?" Jungkook was surprised.

     "He shot Yoongi, I just got in the way." Seokjin turned to Taehyung, "Keep it safe."

     Taehyung nodded and Seokjin walked out of the room.

 _What the hell? No way he is going to ignore me after what I just did for him!_ Jungkook hurried after him, catching up to him in the hallway. He tugged his arm to stop him, Seokjin removed his arm from Jungkook's grip, not looking at him. "Seokjin-"

     "What?" Seokjin groaned.

     "Is something wrong?" Jungkook asked, his heart thumping out of his chest.

     "I don't know." Seokjin leaned against the wall, his eyes closed.

     "What don't you know?" Jungkook stood in front of him.

     "It's nothing." Seokjin didn't meet his gaze. Jungkook didn't like this one bit, why was Seokjin being so apathetic?

     "Then why can't you even look at me? Did I do something?" Jungkook tried to catch Seokjin's eye, but Seokjin just pushed him against the wall.

     "I don't know if I can do this." Seokjin looked at him, his gaze cold.

     "Do what?" Jungkook was starting to panic.

     "This, you. Us." Seokjin didn't take his eyes away from Jungkook, "I've lost my edge and it's because of this stupid bond."

     "Stupid bond?" Jungkook was dismayed. "What the fuck does that mean?"

     "Yoongi was right, it's made me weak and I can't afford to be weak right now." Seokjin just shook his head, mad at himself. Jungkook couldn't move, he couldn't speak, all he could do was stare at Seokjin in disbelief. "It's just better if you stay away from me."

     "Stay away from you?" Jungkook repeated, sure he heard wrong.

     "I can't be with you, Jungkook," Seokjin uttered, "Not anymore."

     Jungkook watched as Seokjin walked off down the hall and up the stairs as if he was staring into nothing. _What the hell just happened?_  None of what Seokjin said made sense.. _What the fuck did Yoongi say to him?_ Jungkook was devastated, he blinked back tears as he stood there still trying to process the words, " _I can't be with you Jungkook."_

     Yoongi and Hoseok came out of the lab, laughing together about the strategic placement of 200 statues to ward off potential thieves and the reality of only three coming alive to chase them down with an ominous warning about daggers not leaving their homes, only to blow up in the sunlight. Jungkook lost it, he tackled Yoongi to the ground, straddled him and pummeled him with punches. Yoongi tried his hardest to block the blows, but he couldn't move fast enough. It took both Hoseok and Taehyung to pull Jungkook off of Yoongi, the younger still thrashing about, trying to break free as Taehyung pushed him up against the wall and held him there, barely strong enough to stop Jungkook's erratic actions.

     "What the hell are you doing?" Taehyung yelled at him, but Jungkook did not hear a word he was saying, his eyes were fixed on Yoongi's bloodied face as Hoseok helped him up off the ground. "JUNGKOOK?!"

     Yoongi knew exactly what this was about, he spat out a wad of blood onto the floor and dabbed the blood from the deep cut on his chin, staring back at Jungkook. "Save it for the enemy, kid." Yoongi yelled at him. Jungkook pushed Taehyung out of the way and grabbed Yoongi by the collar, pushing him up against the wall.

     "I'm going to fucking kill you when this is all over," Jungkook yelled, seething.

     Hoseok and Taehyung pulled him away again. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Hoseok grabbed Jungkook's shoulders to try to calm him down.

     "I didn't tell him anything he didn't already know was true." Yoongi barked. "You made him weak and Jacker knows it."

     "What did you do?" Taehyung looked at Yoongi, bewildered, Yoongi shrugged.

     "What needed to be done," Yoongi retorted, running his tongue over the slit in his lip.

     "You're fucking dead." Jungkook clenched his jaw, his eyes boring into the bloodied vampire.

     Yoongi took a glance at Jungkook as he wiped the blood from his nose, a small smirk overtook his mouth as he stared back at the younger.

     "Calm him down before he gets hurt-" Yoongi told Taehyung and then walked off, Hoseok following behind, leaving Taehyung and Jungkook staring after them.

 

     Seokjin was standing on the roof, thunder rang out as a lightning bolt touched down in the gravel driveway below. His hair stood on edge from the electricity in the air. He stood there, stoic, every ounce of him hardened, not able to feel any pain or emotions. He had to focus on the big picture. He couldn't let this bond change him or the objective.

     Jungkook reached the back door, he threw it open and went outside where he dropped to his knees in the dirt and screamed out, his whole body ached, his head was swimming with every possible emotion - anger and sadness were at war inside of him. The wind picked up and the rain came, soaking him within moments. He didn't move, he just stared up at the blackened sky, the clouds moving rapidly above his head. His whole world was falling apart. The change happened instantly, he tore off his clothing and went from a man to a hybrid within minutes. He took off through the trees and didn't stop until he reached the cliff overlooking the river valley below. He let out a loud anguished howl.

     Seokjin watched as birds flew from the trees off in the distance, Jungkook's howl echoed through the night. He collapsed down on the roof's shingles, hard. His butt aching from the impact, his scream lost in the thunder. Seokjin cried out, tears streaming down his face. He laid back on the wet shingles and covered his face with his hands, running them frantically through his soaked hair. He knew he couldn't give in, he couldn't go to Jungkook. His other half was in extreme emotional pain, he could feel it in his bones, in his very core... but he had to stay tough.  He could not be attached to him right now, not if he was going to keep them both alive. This was the way it had to be, no matter how much it killed him inside.

 


	30. Plans

     The sun gleamed through the trees in thin patterns of light, flickering on the ground like a giant candle was lit off in the distance. The sky was mottled in various degrees of orange and yellow, surrounded by a grey nothingness, as if all the clouds swallowed up the sky and became a big blanket of gloom. Jungkook just laid out in the leaves, staring at the tops of the trees as they swayed in the breeze. He didn't feel like moving- maybe if he was lucky, the ground would swallow him up.

    _I've lost my edge and it's because of this stupid bond. **Stupid bond**. _ Jungkook could not get those words out of his mind as if it were stuck in a perpetual loop. _Stupid bond, indeed._

     A scrunching of leaves behind him made him sit up quickly, looking around for the source of the noise. It sounded too big to be an animal. 

     "Get up." Taehyung appeared in front of him, Jungkook grabbed his chest, startled. Taehyung threw him a pair of pants and turned away to give him some privacy.

     "Why?" Jungkook slipped them on, staying seated, he was quite comfortable with remaining immobile for the rest of the...century.

     "We still have a war to prepare for, you need to train." Taehyung reached out his hand, Jungkook was reluctant to take it.  "I'm sure this isn't permanent."

     Jungkook looked up at Taehyung, he was astonished at the brilliant blue that was staring back at him. He pulled Jungkook up to stand.

     "Why do your eyes do that?" Taehyung asked.

     "Do what?" Jungkook didn't think about the fact that maybe his eye color had stayed blue, and was now an unsubtle reminder to everyone that he was beyond upset.

     "They're blue." Taehyung realized Jungkook probably didn't know.

     "I dunno, because apparently people need to know when I feel like shit." Jungkook rubbed his shoulders, his body ached all over.

 

     They walked in silence for most of the way back, Taehyung didn't know what to say. He knew Jungkook was hurting and he kind of understood why Seokjin did what he did, but seeing Jungkook like this pulled at his heart. "I'm sorry man, I know this all sucks."

     "You don't have to comfort me, I'll be fine." Jungkook stated, he really did not need anyone's pity.  His stomach growled, declaring to the world that he was hungry, but he didn't think he'd be able to eat.

     "Hoseok is making breakfast, minimal amount of weird things in it today," Taehyung smirked.

     Jungkook cracked a small smile, he stopped and looked down at the ground. "Have you seen-"

     "He's been in the gym all night." Taehyung put his hand on Jungkook's shoulder, Jungkook was grateful that Taehyung knew what he was going to ask, he really didn't think he could mutter out Seokjin's name right now. 

     

     When they got back to the castle, Namjoon, Yoongi, Seokjin and a handful of other pack members were standing in the driveway watching as a long, black Rolls Royce pulled up and came to a stop in front of them. Jungkook stopped to watch as Jacker and several of his men exited the car. He could feel Seokjin tense up.

     Namjoon nodded to him. "Jacker."

     Jacker smiled, a fowl little scowl, "Namjoon." Jacker looked around Namjoon at the barely clad body of Jungkook standing there, a little light came on inside him. "I sense a crushed spirit."

     Seokjin turned to look at Jungkook, his heart skipping several beats as he noticed Jungkook's eyes. He turned back around to face Jacker.

     Jacker walked over to Jungkook and grabbed his face, pulling him close to look into the young hybrid's eyes. Seokjin balled up his fists but did not move. "Blue." He looked over at Seokjin. "Broken bond?

     Seokjin shot him a dirty look. Jacker was satisfied with himself.

     "Jacker, we should go into my office." Namjoon insisted and Jacker let go of Jungkook's chin.

     "Yes, of course."  Jacker adjusted the coat that was hanging off his shoulders and then leaned into Jungkook's ear. "I bet this hurts really bad." He smirked, looking at Jungkook's fallen expression. He joined Namjoon and they went inside.

     Jungkook looked at Seokjin, but the elder did not meet his gaze, instead he turned to Yoongi, muttered something and then headed into the castle. Yoongi turned to follow, coming face to face with Jungkook. He stopped.

     "Keep walking," Jungkook warned him.  Yoongi only smirked, he grabbed Taehyung's arm and pulled him inside, leaving Jungkook alone with the pack members and Jacker's men. He felt awkwardly under-dressed all of a sudden.

    

     Jacker closed the door to Namjoon's office and turned to him, removing his jacket and placing it on the back of the chair.

     Namjon went behind his desk and turned to him, "Have a seat."

     "You can't even hold your pack together and you expect to lead a battle against a stronger enemy?" Jacker's ridicule made Namjoon belligerent.

     "The pack is fine." Namjoon sat down, refusing to stoop to Jacker's level.

     "Your lovers are in turmoil, the vampire has an insatiable lust to kill the kid and I'm pretty sure that sentiment is mutual." Jacker glided into the chair, enjoying the moment immensely, "The kid's mother is still missing, and Seokjin's only blood relative is leading the resistance."

     "Seokjin is loyal to this pack, more than I can ever say about you." Namjoon didn't mince his words.

     "Touché" Jacker leaned back and crossed his legs, he couldn't get into Namjoon's head like he could with Seokjin, it was no fun. "Shall we get down to business then?"

 

     Seokjin and Yoongi were sparring, Jungkook did not want to be in a room with either of them, but there was no other place to train. The weather outside was dismal and the constant drizzle was drenching everything in water. He was stuck with some random pack member as his training partner and he couldn't help but steal glances at Seokjin, shirtless, glistening from the sweat that covered his body. Seokjin didn't even look over, not once. Jungkook had to wonder how he was able to keep it together so well, when he himself, was dying inside. To make matters worse, it seemed his eyes were permanently blue and everyone had been extra nice to him this afternoon, even his sparring partner was going easy, Jungkook wondered how easy the guy would be if he ripped out his throat. 

     Jungkook let out a growl and Seokjin stopped for a moment to look over, Yoongi took the opportunity to blast him in the side of the head with a hard punch, jolting him back to focusing on the determined vampire.

     "I'm over here." Yoongi pushed Seokjin back. Seokjin took a few jabs, missing him. Yoongi glanced at Jungkook who he knew was watching them, he was feeling a little evil, he wanted to make the younger suffer a bit. He took advantage of Seokjin's absent mind, grabbed him and flipped him over his hip, pinning him down to the mat, straddling him.  Seokjin tried to buck him off, but Yoongi just held him there. "Where's your mind?"

     Jungkook wanted too bad to tackle Yoongi off of Seokjin, but instead, he refocused on his own partner, turning to him, he drew back his fist and pummeled him in the chest with a ton of force, the guy fell to the ground, hyperventilating. 

     "I, I can't..breathe." The guy yelled out and Seokjin hurried over, bending down to him. "My l-lung, he co-collapsed my l-lung." The man took in a deep breath and yelled out in agony.

     Seokjin looked up at Jungkook, the younger's gaze was deadly. Yoongi came and stood behind Jungkook, peering down at Seokjin.

     "The kid has more talent than you, it seems." Yoongi teased, Seokjin shot him a bitter look and then helped the man up, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and helping him out of the room.

     Jungkook turned to Yoongi, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, he wanted to fight and Yoongi was more than happy to fulfill his wish. 

     "Don't hold back." Yoongi's gaze was fierce.

     "I won't." Jungkook pushed Yoongi back and he stumbled, catching himself. He zoomed past Jungkook to maneuver behind him, grabbing him in a chokehold and dragging him down to the mat. Jungkook struggled, flopping around like a fish out of water for a few moments before breaking free. He grabbed Yoongi's arm, spun up around him, and pinned him to the mat. He stretched the elder's arm upwards behind him towards his head. Yoongi winced but did not scream when he felt his shoulder pop out of its socket. Yoongi's teeth began to grow, fangs now protruding below his lip, he wanted blood. He managed to push up off the mat with his good hand and stand, cracking his bone, setting it back into place.

     "Maybe I need to make you my sparring partner." Yoongi flashed his fangs. Jungkook was unamused. Yoongi lunged forward and hit Jungkook hard in the gut making him double over, then clasped his hands and chopped Jungkook on the back, sending him down to the floor. Jungkook grabbed Yoongi's foot and pulled it forward, the elder landed on his back in a huff. He rolled over to stand, laughing. "You've improved."

     "Do you ever shut up?" Jungkook sneered.

     "Nope." Yoongi cracked his neck.

    Seokjin walked back into the room and Jungkook turned his head to look at him. Yoongi's wrath knew no mercy, he took advantage of Jungkook not paying him any attention and whomped him in the stomach and as Jungkook bent over gasping for air, he kneed him in the face sending him backward to the mat, his nose gushing blood all over the smooth vinyl.

     "Ouch." Yoongi smirked, Jungkook rolled over, stood, and grabbed Yoongi by the shirt, drew his hand back and pummeled Yoongi straight in the mouth, Seokjin rushed over and grabbed Jungkook's arm to stop a second punch, but Jungkook was so out of it, he elbowed Seokjin hard in the mouth.

     "FUCK." Seokjin grabbed his face and moved back, his eyes shut tight, trying to dull out the pain.

     "Shit, Seokjin-" Jungkook tried to go to him, but Seokjin held up his arm to motion for him to stay back. "I-I'm sorry."

     "What part of stay away from me didn't you understand?" Seokjin looked at him with contempt, Jungkook backed up, his face dropped.

     Jungkook looked down at the mat, "Why are you doing this?"

     "This bond is a curse, I don't want it." Seokjin yelled at him and Jungkook looked back up at him, his blues eyes glistening. "Stop with the fucking blue eyes, I'm not going to feel sorry for you."

     "A curse?" Jungkook stammered. He shook his head, his eyes narrowed into slits, he was done with Seokjin's bullshit. "Fuck you, you're a weak ass dumbfuck." Jungkook scoffed, "I feel bad for you."

     Jungkook pushed him back and walked out of the room, wiping the blood from his nose on his sleeve. Seokjin chased after him, reaching the foyer. He threw his gloves at the younger's back to stop him, Jungkook turned quickly-

     "Weak ass?" Seokjin yelled. "I'm doing this to help you."

     "Help me what? Help me want to hate you? Help me to wish I never fucking came here?" Jungkook shouted, "Fuck you Seokjin, it's a bullshit excuse. You're not helping me, you're just a selfish prick."

     "Wow." Seokjin was angry.

     "Yeah wow...you won't have to worry about me staying away from you, I don't even want to be around you anymore." Jungkook walked off towards the stairs, leaving Seokjin standing there, visibly shaken.

 

     It had been two weeks since Seokjin saw Jungkook. Seokjin was miserable, his heart just wasn't in anything he did. He muddled through the days like a robot. No emotions, just a shell. He hated it. He wanted to see Jungkook, he _needed_ to see Jungkook. The younger avoided him like the plague, spending all his time in the forest, training with Taehyung. Seokjin knew he fucked up, but there was no way to fix it now.

     Seokjin was standing in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee when he saw Jungkook and Taehyung walk past the kitchen window, strolling in several moments later to get some water from the fridge. Jungkook stopped briefly when he saw Seokjin standing at the counter.

     "Jacker's men are pretty well trained," Taehyung mentioned, throwing a bottle of water to Jungkook, who took a long swig as he sat at the table.

     "Surprisingly, training with them is not as bad as I thought it would be." Jungkook leaned back. "Learned a lot more this week than I have in the last few years."

    Seokjin clenched his jaw, he knew that was a jab..and he probably deserved it.

     "How's it going Seokjin?" Taehyung asked, leaning against the counter next to him.

     "Fine." Seokjin didn't look up from his coffee.

     "You look like shit, still having trouble sleeping?" Taehyung questioned.

     Seokjin shot him a look, he didn't want to discuss this in front of Jungkook. "It's fine."

     "It's not a secret, everyone sees you walking around the castle at night, you're spooking people out." Taehyung shrugged. Seokjin glanced at Jungkook for a moment, the younger was engrossed in a game on his phone, not paying them any attention. Jungkook's eyes were still blue, a paler shade than the last time he had seen him. Taehyung leaned in so only Seokjin could hear. "You fucked up."

     Seokjin sighed. "Too late now." 

     "Yeah, probably," Taehyung spoke softly, a quizzical look overtook Seokjin's face, "He doesn't even talk about you anymore."

     Seokjin looked back down at his coffee, a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach.  This was supposed to make him stronger, but mentally he felt weaker than ever. Taehyung walked out of the kitchen as Yoongi walked in. He grabbed himself a water bottle full of red liquid from the refrigerator, Seokjin assumed it was the elk blood they had procured earlier that day, he watched as Yoongi took a drink from it.

     "Namjoon wants to talk to us all later," Yoongi announced, not sure if either of them were listening.

     "Can we finally get this thing done with so I can leave here?" Jungkook answered.

     "Where the hell would you go?" Yoongi snorted.

     "Anywhere but here." Jungkook's tone was resolute, Seokjin turned to him, his shoulder sunk. Jungkook scoffed at the sight of him.  _How dare you stand there and look hurt._

      Seokjin sulked from the room, leaving his coffee behind. He walked around the property for a good hour, thinking. He found himself standing in front of Noni's grave, staring down at the pile of dirt that was nearly flat already. He kneeled down, like a withered scarecrow, a lump of straw melted into the soil.

     "I don't know what I'm doing, Noni." Tears welled up in his eyes. "You always tried to keep me grounded, make me talk about what I was feeling..after my parents died I was so focused on finding Jacker, I shut everything and everyone out. I felt like I was a burden to everyone." He took a deep breath. "I always pushed you away...I'm sorry." He wiped the tear that escaped his eye, he wished Noni was here now, with some comforting words to tell him he was doing the right thing. "This was supposed to make it all easier, he was supposed to understand that." Seokjin felt weird for whining about it to a tombstone, "It should have made me stronger..but I just feel like I have nothing left inside me anymore-"

     "Bonds aren't meant to be broken, it's like missing half of yourself." Hoseok came over to stand next to him. "I'm not Noni, but I know how to listen."

     "He's over it, he's done with me."

     "If he was so over it, why are his eyes still blue?" Hoseok pointed out, sitting. "He's just learned to block it out better than you."

     "I thought I was the strong one." Seokjin looked at him.

     "Look up at the sky, what do you see?" Hoseok asked, looking up at the gloomy clouds that had not left the sky for the past two weeks.

     "Grey." Seokjin shrugged, "What does this have to do with anything?"

     "The last two times Jungkook was really angry, what do you remember about the weather?" Hoseok started, "When he was sad over Noni, when he was sad over you..even now. What do you see?"

     "Are you telling me his moods affect the weather?" Seokjin was skeptical. Hoseok simply smiled, raising his eyebrows and nodded.

     "Jungkook is hurting, he's turned it into anger because it's easier to deal with than being sad all the time. He can handle being mad at you, but he can't handle missing you." Hoseok put his hand on Seokjin's shoulder. "You took away his reason to really give a shit, did you even think about that?"

     Seokjin just stared at him, blank.

     "Duty to his pack is the only reason he still gives one shit, that's it." Hoseok reasoned, "Why should he fight for you if you can't even fight for him?"

     "I did this for him, so I could concentrate on doing what I needed to do," Seokjin furrowed his brows. "Without any weaknesses."

     "How's that working out for you?" Hoseok stood, "Think about it."

     Seokjin watched Hoseok walk off and then turned his head to the sky, taking in a deep breath. 

 

      Seokjin stood and brushed off his pants, he bowed his head to Noni's gravestone and was about to walk off, when he noticed a woman standing by the mausoleum, her billowy gown swaying in the breeze like a ghostly omen come true. He squinted to try to see who it was, but she disappeared behind the wall. _Nari?_ Seokjin hurried over, skidding to a halt when he saw Nari standing there in the back, as if in a trance. He reached out his hand and turned her around.

     "Nari?" Seokjin waved his hand in front of her eyes, she did not blink, she just stared straight ahead. Seokjin felt the ground rumble, it was slight at first then got stronger with each footstep he heard approaching. He slowly turned around to see two giant paws had stopped behind him. "Cato." He looked up, staring into a pair of black eyes. Cato was several feet taller than he was.

     "Seokjin." His voice was hoarse, more like a growl. He grabbed Seokjin by the neck, lifting him just slightly off the ground and slamming him into the stone of the mausoleum wall, holding him there. Seokjin tried to remove the claws from his neck, but he wasn't strong enough. "You have disappointed me."

     "Likewise." Seokjin retorted and Cato tightened his grip, making Seokjin choke.

     "Making a truce with Jacker was very stupid, he is not on your side." Cato snarled. "You are stronger than this."

     "Why are you here?" Seokjin was still pawing at his hands trying to loosen Cato's death grip.

     "You still have a chance, as you are my grandson and you were stolen away never understanding your birthright."

     "I would never join you." Seokjin's eyes turned black.

     "You dare to challenge me?" Cato growled, his breath blew Seokjin's hair, he felt like he was suffocating.

     "I won't help you slaughter the werewolves." Seokjin spat, his fangs grew out past his lip, the buttons on his shirt began to pop as his chest grew. His feet splitting his shoes as they grew in length-

     "You will not morph." Cato berated him, turning him around so that his face was touching the rough stone, scraping his cheek. He drew back his clawed hand and dug it deep into Seokjin's lower back, he screamed out.

     Back at the castle, Seokjin's shrieks reverberated through the rooms, Taehyung and Jungkook stopped hitting the punching bag and looked at each other, Yoongi looked towards the door. 

     "Seokjin?" Yoongi said aloud.

     Cato twisted his hand around in Seokjin's flesh, draining all his energy. "Don't ever challenge me." He dropped Seokjin, who rolled over onto his back, weary. He smirked up at his grandfather.

     "What are you going to do when I kill you?" Seokjin laughed, but his voice was tired.

     Cato bent down, leaning his face over Seokjin's. "Your fate is sealed then. You have declared me your enemy." Cato pressed his thumb to Seokjin's head, marking him. It burned, but he was too worn out to scream.

     "G-good." Seokjin exhaled loudly.

     Cato grabbed Seokjin by the shirt and pulled him up to stand. "You can have her back, she is useless to me now."  Cato pushed Seokjin towards Nari, knocking her to the ground, he landed on all fours next to her. When he looked back up, Cato was gone.

 

     Namjoon joined Yoongi and Jungkook out in front of the castle, "It came from the graveyard-" He stopped short when he saw Seokjin hobbling towards them, carrying Nari in his arms. Jungkook looked where Namjoon was, _Mom?!_ he ran over to take his mother from Seokjin.

     "Mom?" He watched as Seokjin fell to his knees in the grass. Yoongi rushed over to him, reaching him just as he collapsed.

     "Seokjin-" Yoongi called out, bending down.

     "Get them to the lab," Namjoon ordered.

     Yoongi picked up Seokjin and they all made their way back inside.

 

     Taehyung moved the stuff off the cot in the corner for Jungkook to lay Nari on, Yoongi set Seokjin down on the lab table. Namjoon followed in behind them, checking Seokjin's pulse, his heart rate was slow, he looked at Taehyung. "Wake him up." 

     Taehyung grabbed a syringe from the cabinet and filled it with some ginseng, he shot a fair amount into Seokjin's vein and backed up, Seokjin opened his eyes, weary; his whole being exhausted.

     "Seokjin, what happened?" Namjoon leaned over him.

     "Cato." Seokjin whispered, "W-where's Jungkook?"

     Jungkook walked over, opposite of Namjoon, he stared down at him. "I'm here."

     "You're going to kill Cato." He smiled, the fatigue was making him beyond sleepy, "I saw it when he marked me." 

     "Marked you?" Namjoon questioned, worried what that could mean.

     "Talk to Nari, she doesn't have much time." Seokjin's eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out again.

     Jungkook looked over at his mother, she was still in a trance and did not move, she just stared at the ceiling, not blinking.

     "Taehyung, go get Hoseok." Namjoon requested and Taehyung nodded as he hurried out of the room.  

     Jungkook kneeled down and took his mother's hand in his own, Namjoon sat down on the edge of the cot, brushing the hair from her face. Jungkook looked over at his leader, helpless. "What's wrong with her?"

     "I don't know," Namjoon shrugged, he had no clue; whatever Cato had done to her, it wasn't good. Her life force was diminished to the point of almost gone.

     Taehyung returned with Hoseok moments later.

     "I need you to do a mind link," Namjoon demanded and Hoseok looked at him wide-eyed.

     "I haven't done mentis-bellum in a long time,"  Hoseok advised, shaking his head. "I could kill her."

     "Just do it,"  Namjoon urged, "She's dying anyway."

     Hoseok licked his lips, taking a deep breath to calm his frenetic brain,  "I need everyone away from her, or it'll cloud the reading."

    Namjoon stood and pulled Jungkook back. Hoseok kneeled down, taking in a large breath, he placed his hand over Nari's eyes and closed his own. A silent minute passed until he opened his eyes again, they were blank, a white film had covered the whole inside of his eye socket. "Ask her what you need to know."

     "Nari, can you hear me?" Namjoon pulled up a chair and sat down. 

     "Yes." Nari answered, Hoseok's lips mouthed along to what she was saying, but no sound came from him.

     "Nari, what happened?" Namjoon questioned her.

     "Cato drained me of my life force, I'm dying." She spoke, a tear ran down her face. Jungkook inhaled a sharp breath. "That's why they do to the werewolves, they drain their energy to make themselves stronger." She coughed, wheezing in some air.

     "How do we stop them?"

     "Jungkook." She answered, "Jungkook is the only one that can stop him."

     "How?" Jungkook was taken aback, how could he be the only one that could stop him?

     "Seokjin has to kill Jacker, and when he does, you need to take his energy, you're the only one who can. It's going to make you stronger Jungkook, stronger than Cato."

     "Why me?" Jungkook swallowed hard, his chest hurt.

     "His wife wasn't strong enough to stop him, so she made sure you could." Nari coughed again, a trickle of blood ran out and down her cheek. "He knows what you are now. He wants you dead."

     Hoseok twitched, Namjoon knew he had to wrap this up. "Is there anything we need to do?"

     "He drained Seokjin in the cemetery, you're gonna have to sacrifice someone or he won't make it." Her voice became weaker. "Save him."

     Jungkook looked over at Seokjin on the table.

     "Jungkook, I'm so sorry." Nari reached out her hand to touch his face. "I believe in you."

     Jungkook closed his eyes. 

     "Seokjin has to kill Jacker during the full moon, that's when this is all happening, Cato's attack is on the next full moon, Seokjin will be his strongest then."

     Hoseok jolted back, releasing his hand from Nari. He scrambled to stand and left the room in a hurry. Taehyung followed after him to make sure he was okay. Nari's hand fell back to her side, lifeless.

    Jungkook opened his eyes, taking her hand in his, he pulled it to his chest, biting back the tears.  _I Love you, mom._

     "I'm sorry." Namjoon put his hand on Jungkook's hand and squeezed then stood and walked over to Seokjin. He looked over at Yoongi. "Bring me one of Jacker's men. Quietly."

     Yoongi understood, he nodded and rushed from the room.

 

     Taehyung gave Seokjin another dose of ginseng and he opened his eyes, blinking at the light. Yoongi held one of Jacker's men by the door, his nails dug into his neck so that he could not change into his werewolf form.

     "Seokjin, you need to stand up, you need to drain him of his energy," Namjoon spoke and Seokjin slowly sat up wobbling side to side as if intoxicated.

      "Drain?" Seokjin's eyebrow raised, questioning his leader. "What?"

     "Like how Cato did to you." Namjoon helped him to stand, Taehyung grabbing the other side, steadying him. Seokjin looked over at Jungkook.

     "Kookie?" Seokjin moaned, "I'm sorry... I didn't want to hurt you-"

     "Don't worry about that right now." Jungkook uttered, he wasn't about to discuss broken hearts and hurt feelings at this moment.

     "You won't get away with this.." Kurt screamed, "Jacker won't have this-"

    "It's nothing personal Kurt, you just weren't living up to your potential," Yoongi smirked, hungry to spill some blood.

     Namjoon nodded to Yoongi and Yoongi removed his claws from Kurt's neck, laying in a kidney punch that brought him to his knees. Namjoon held out his hand, shocking him with jolts of electricity. It made him furious, he thrashed about trying to evade the torture.

     "Oh, he's ready to kill someone." Yoongi taunted, kicking him forward so that he fell on all fours.

     Kurt turned quick, he attempted to bolt from the room but Yoongi held out his arm, clotheslining him, the werewolf fell on to his back with a thump. Seokjin bent down, reaching his arm out to grab the beast. Kurt snapped his jaws, latching his razor-like teeth into Seokjin's forearm, he yelled out in pain. The sensation sent a rush of adrenaline through him, reviving him enough to focus. Seokjin grabbed the creature by its neck and pinned him down, forcing him to turn over, his face against the cold floor.

     "Do it now," Yoongi demanded, his own fangs peeking out behind his lips.

     Seokjin stared at his hand for a moment, in awe. He let his claws grow out just enough to be able to pierce the skin... then rammed it through Kurt's back, twisting it back and forth like Cato had, he could feel the energy coursing through him, rejuvenating him. The werewolf stopped resisting in a matter of seconds as Seokjin drained him, every last ounce of his spirit was gone, Kurt's body went limp and shriveled up. Seokjin let out a deep growl and everyone covered their ears. His back arched as he withdrew his hand, the immense energy flowed throughout his body, heightened all of his senses. He ripped off his shirt, changing into his hybrid form.

     "Alpha powers should fix him right up." Yoongi enjoyed watching Seokjin's transformation a little too much. Taehyung stepped back, the love-drunk look on Yoongi's face startled him.

     Seokjin's eyes glowed a fiery red for a split second then turned back to black, his chest heaving from the raw power... Seokjin was a sight to behold.

    

     Later that night, the kitchen was alive with the sounds of slurping and chewing. Taehyung threw down the dead rabbit he had nearly devoured, wiping his mouth.

     "This is gross." He informed Hoseok as he peered at the pile of carcasses that littered the table top. They were chowing down on rabbits like they were at pie eating contest at the state fair.

     "You'll get used to it," Hoseok assured him, but Taehyung just shook his head in denial.

     Yoongi walked into the room and stopped when he saw the pile of dead bunnies on the table, questioning how sanitary their feeding ritual was.

     "That's nasty." Yoongi grabbed his red bottle from the fridge and took a long swig.

     "You drink blood, not much better." Hoseok grimaced.

      "Hoseok, can you give us a minute?" Taehyung asked and Hoseok looked over at him, patting his full stomach.

     "Yeah sure." He stood up and grabbed the box of the remaining live bunnies and walked from the room. Yoongi looked over at Taehyung, perplexed.

     "I didn't want to believe it at first." Taehyung stared at the bunny in front of him. "But the more I think about it, the more sense it makes."

      "What?" Yoongi was apathetic, not sure if he should care about what the younger was about to say. He leaned against the counter, taking another swig from his bottle.

     "You have a thing for Seokjin-"

     "What the fuck?" Yoongi was appalled, he practically spit out the mouthful of blood, he had to swallow quick. "Where the hell did you come up with that shit?"

     "I'm not wrong." Taehyung glanced at him. "I thought it was just friendly concern at first, but watching you when you're around him..it's more than that."

     "That's ludicrous." Yoongi shook his head, "You're wrong."

     Taehyung let out a laugh. "Keep telling yourself that." Taehyung began to clean up the rabbit corpses, throwing them into a box.

     "He's my best friend, nothing more." Yoongi declared, a sour expression on his face.

     "I might think you're in denial if you weren't so blatantly transparent with it." Taehyung threw the last rabbit into the box and picked it up.

     "You're an idiot." Yoongi glared at him. Taehyung raised his eyebrows, challenging him.

     "I may be a lot of things, but I'm not stupid." Taehyung walked to the door, stopping to look back at him. "Jungkook isn't the only one jealous, except he isn't sabotaging Seokjin to make him hate you."

     

     Seokjin was hitting the punching bag when Yoongi stopped in the doorway to the exercise room. He watched for several minutes before walking over to him, standing behind the bag and holding it.

     "Feeling better?" Yoongi asked and Seokjin nodded.

     "Haven't felt this good in awhile." Seokjin hit the bag hard, Yoongi was doing his best to hold it still, but his body bounced back a little with each hit.

     "Patch things up with Jungkook yet?"

     Seokjin shook his head, "No."

     "Do you want to?" Yoongi let go of the bag.

     "Why?" Seokjin stood back, looking at him. Yoongi was wearing an odd expression.

     Yoongi grinned, moving closer. "Testing out a theory."

     Seokjin just stood there, clueless. Yoongi swept Seokjin, throwing him off balance, taking him down to the mat,  he hastily mounted him and held down his arms.

     "The fuck are you doing?" Seokjin moved his hips trying to get Yoongi off of him. Pushing up on his arms, Yoongi let go of him, still straddled around his hips.

     "Maybe the kid is right." Yoongi looked down at Seokjin, hungry.

     "Get off of me." Seokjin thrust his hips and Yoongi flew off. "What is wrong with you?"

     "A lot more than I realized." Yoongi sat up, staring at Seokjin.

     "Okay?"

     "Want to go get a drink?" Yoongi stood, adjusting his shirt. He held his hand out to Seokjin, "Think we can use one right about now-"

     "Sure, yeah." Seokjin reached up grasping Yoongi's outstretched hand. He could stand to let loose after everything that happened today.

 

     Seokjin started his motorcycle, handing the extra helmet to Yoongi, who threw it on the grass and got on the back of the bike.

     "Would it kill you to be safe?" Seokjin frowned.

     "Safe is no fun." Yoongi took a gander up towards the roof as Seokjin revved the engine.

     Staring down from the roof stood Jungkook, eyes bluer than the Caribbean ocean. Taehyung was perched right beside him, disappointed but not surprised. The pair watched as Seokjin and Yoongi sped off to the gates and then down the road out of sight.

 

 

* * *

 


	31. Turnaround

     Yoongi stumbled over the rocks that jutted out from the beach, 'jetties' they called them, he laughed as he stared down at the waves crashing just below his feet. Seokjin was dodging waves on the shore, misinterpreting the pattern and soaking the hell out of his shoes.

     They were past drunk...somewhere near brain dead territory.

     "Turn into a bat!" Seokjin yelled out to Yoongi at the end of the rocks. Yoongi nearly fell into the water. Twice.

      "I can't do that dumbass, I told you that like 2 million times." Yoongi yelled at him. He could fly, well technically float, for short periods of time like from the ground to a roof or a tree to the ground. The bat thing was a myth.

     "Boring!" Seokjin fell on his ass and laughed.

     "Turn into a dog." Yoongi mocked him.

     "Why would I turn into a dog, that doesn't even make sense." Seokjin kicked the sand with his foot.

     Yoongi climbed off the rocks and joined Seokjin in the sand, sitting down next to him with a thump. He picked up a shell and threw it out into the water.

     "There's four days until the full moon," Yoongi mentioned, slurring. "I don't think any of us are ready for this."

     "At least your kind doesn't kill each other over stupid shit."

     "We're pretty vindictive when we want to be though," Yoongi smirked, he may or may not have been referring to himself. "Especially to someone we perceive as a threat."

     "This isn't even your fight, why would you want to involve yourself in this?" Seokjin looked up at the moon.

     "Pack loyalty." Yoongi answered, "Namjoon has been good to me."

     "So why did you leave then?" Seokjin had always wondered, it wasn't like he announced it either, he just up and left. Seokjin wondered if it was something he had done, but then just figured he probably needed time to himself. Yoongi wasn't really ever attached to anyone, much like himself, but if he had to admit it, Seokjin always missed hanging out with him. "Best friends' to them meant they enjoyed each other when around each other, but when apart, they didn't really think about the other. They definitely had a complex friendship.

     "Best interest of everyone involved." Yoongi nodded.

     "Best interest of what?" Seokjin looked at him, thinking back, nothing had happened for him to have to leave.

     "I developed feelings for someone in the pack and it wasn't going to work." Yoongi was vague.

     "You had a relationship?" Seokjin scratched his head, thinking. "With who?"

     "I didn't say I had a relationship." Yoongi looked over at him.

     "You didn't even hang around anyone long enough to have feelings for anyone, I would have known." Seokjin announced, he called bullshit on Yoongi's story.

     "How do you know that?" Yoongi asked him.

     "Because we were inseparable, you were always hanging out with me-" He looked back out at the water, realization hit him like the waves on the beach hit the sand, crash!

     "Yeah. Now you get it." Yoongi picked up another shell. "We got drunk and I did something that I shouldn't have."

     Seokjin had a sudden bad feeling that maybe Yoongi's 'crush' wasn't just in the past. "What did you mean tonight when you said the kid was right?"

     "Taehyung made me realize I needed to get closure. 12 years is a long time to stay in denial." Yoongi threw the shell in the water.

     "Is that why you got me drunk?" Seokjin laughed.

     "I like Taehyung," Yoongi admitted. "A lot."

     "I know." Seokjin smiled, "I can tell."

     "So I need to ask you a favor." Yoongi cleared his throat, "Don't freak out."

     "Oh god." Seokjin was afraid to ask, usually Yoongi's 'don't freak out' meant that he would indeed 'freak out' about whatever was to come next.

     "Kiss me." Yoongi blurted out.

     "What the fuck!" Seokjin whined, "I haven't drank _that_ much."

     "Just once, so I know it's about old feelings." Yoongi pleaded.

     "And if it's not?" Seokjin didn't think this was a good idea.

     "Trust me." Yoongi smiled a gummy, little-drunk smirk.

     "I'm going back home." Seokjin stood, stumbling sideways, he straightened himself up and then started his trek back to the bike. Yoongi stood and joined him.

     "Just one," Yoongi whined.

     "NO." Seokjin scolded him like a bad dog.

     Seokjin climbed onto the motorcycle and was about to put the helmet on when Yoongi grabbed it away. "You're drunk, you can't drive."

     "Come on, give me my helmet." Seokjin held out his hand, putting it down a few seconds later when Yoongi threw the helmet onto the sand.

     "I'm calling Taehyung to come get us," He took out his phone, a blank expression on his face. "Shit, I can't remember his number."

     "Why didn't you save it in your phone?" Seokjin leaned his head into his palm against the handlebars, questioning his choice in friends.

     "That's too much commitment this early." Yoongi stuck his phone back in his pocket. "Call Jungkook."

     "Weren't you the one that said I needed to stay away from him." Seokjin climbed off the bike and sat (fell) down in the grass.

     "He can tell Taehyung." Yoongi knew his logic was sound.

     Seokjin handed Yoongi his phone, "You call him."

     "He's not gonna come out for me." Yoongi frowned, Yoongi handed it back, "You."

     "No." Seokjin laid back in the grass and threw the phone beside him.

     "Oh for fuck's sake." He grabbed the phone and dialed Jungkook. It rang five times before he picked up.

     "What?" His tone was annoyed.

     "Jungkookie!" Yoongi laughed. "Jungkookie, get Taehyung."

     "Yoongi?" Jungkook was surprised, "What the fuck? Where's Seokjin?"

     "He's here, get Taehyung you little shit." Yoongi laid back on the grass, noticing the clouds swirling around the moon. "So serene."

     He heard a huff on the other side, then some movement, and then a muffled, "It's Yoongi, he's drunk." From Jungkook.

     "Yoongi?" Taehyung asked, putting the phone to his ear.

     "I need a ride, bring the kid and maybe Hoseok." Yoongi ordered.

     "Why do you need Hoseok?" Taehyung was confused. "Are you hurt?"

     "Someone has to ride the bike." Yoongi moaned.  _Jesus._

     There was a small hesitation. "Where are you?"

     "Beach I think." Yoongi looked over at Seokjin, "Stay with me, princess."

     Seokjin shot him a dirty look, he was nobody's princess. "Tell him Jungkook knows the spot." 

     "Did you hear that?" Yoongi asked Taehyung.

     He sighed, "Yeah, be there soon."

     Yoongi threw the phone back to Seokjin, it landed on his stomach, but he didn't move.

     "They're on their way." Yoongi leaned up and looked over at Seokjin. "Are you awake?"

     "No." Seokjin mumbled, keeping his eyes closed.

     "What's wrong with you?" Yoongi moved over so he was right next to Seokjin.

     "Nothing." He sat up.

     "Nothing my ass." Yoongi laid his head down in Seokjin's lap, stretching out his legs in the grass. "Getting drunk was supposed to stop you from thinking."

     "You got me drunk so I would kiss you." Seokjin protested. Yoongi giggled.

     "Only half of it." Yoongi lied. "You're too upright."

     "Meh." Seokjin exhaled.

     "This might be the last time all of us are together. The odds are someone will die." Yoongi shuddered at the sobering thought.

     "All of us?, It's just me and you here." Seokjin looked down at Yoongi. "And I'm not even sure you're _here_."

     "They're coming." Yoongi reminded him.

     "To pick us up." Seokjin shrugged. "God, Jungkook shouldn't see me like this."

     "Don't start whining about Jungkook." Yoongi yelled at him, making Seokjin frown.

     "He probably won't even come." Seokjin brushed the bangs from Yoongi's face. "If he's smart."

     "He'll come." Yoongi grimaced, smacking away Seokjin's hand. 

     "Why do you hate Kookie so much?" Seokjin asked, cupping his hands to his mouth to try to smell his breath.

     "I don't know." Yoongi answered. _Jealousy. No stop._  

     "He's going to save us, so you should be nicer."

     Yoongi laughed, "Our lord and savior, bunny boy."

     Seokjin sighed loudly. Yoongi pulled out the bottle of alcohol from his jacket and took a long drink, then handed it to Seokjin.

     "Might as well finish this up." Yoongi nodded.

     Seokjin took a swig. The taste made him grimace, he wasn't a big fan of vodka straight up. He looked out towards the ocean, swirling the liquid around in the bottle.

 

     When Taehyung pulled up, Seokjin and Yoongi were looking up at the stars, laughing. Yoongi still laying his head on Seokjin, but they had switched positions and Yoongi had his head on Seokjin's abdomen, forming a T with their bodies. They hadn't even noticed the trio pull up and park.

     Taehyung got out first, he walked over and stood there, staring down at them. Jungkook just leaned against the car, crossing his arms, peeved. Hoseok bent down and grabbed the bottle from the grass, tipping it upside down, it was completely empty.

     "Good party?" Hoseok threw the bottle back down, looking over at Taehyung.

     Yoongi sat up and smiled, "Tae Tae." 

     "How much have you had to drink?" Taehyung pulled Yoongi to stand.

     "A couple." Yoongi laughed, poking Taehyung's nose. Hoseok held out his hand to Seokjin.

     "Why am I floating?" Seokjin sat up, attempting to grab Hoseok's hand, but he kept missing.

     "You're not." Hoseok laughed and grabbed his hand when it swung back, pulling him up. Seokjin leaned on him.

     "You smell like a rabbit." Seokjin took in a big sniff of Hoseok's hair. He batted Seokjin away.

     Jungkook rolled his eyes.

     "Oh hey." Yoongi grabbed Seokjin's collar, pulling him closer, "You owe me a kiss."

     Before Seokjin could protest, Yoongi planted a big one right on his lips. Taehyung let go of him and he fell, dragging Seokjin and Hoseok down with him.

     "What..the...fucking..hell?" Taehyung yelled, looking down at Yoongi who had burst out laughing.

     Jungkook's mouth was hanging open, he went past pissed off to full on rage.

     "God damn it Yoongi," Seokjin yelled but burst out laughing himself.

     "I told you Tae, it was nothing. You were wrong." He sat up and looked at him, Taehyung shook his head, appalled.

     Taehyung helped Yoongi into the back seat, he threw the keys to Jungkook and then climbed in next to him, he tried to shush Yoongi up, Yoongi who was now singing 'I'm a little teapot.' at the top of his lungs.

     Jungkook looked over at Seokjin who was standing in the middle of the parking lot looking up at the moon as if it was the first time he had ever seen such a sight.  "Get in the car."

     No response.

     "SEOKJIN! GET IN THE CAR!!!" Jungkook yelled out.

     Still no response.

      _Why? Why are you like this?_  Jungkook wanted to scream, "I should leave you here, asshole."

     "Huh?" He spun around looking for Jungkook. "Jungkook?"

     Jungkook was so done with Seokjin. He trudged over to him, grabbed his arm and lead him over to the passenger side and opened the door. "Get in."

     "Jungkook, you came." Seokjin stammered. "Where were you?"

     "I didn't want to come." He pushed Seokjin towards the opening. "Just get in."

     "Kookie?" Seokjin called out.

     "What?" Jungkook exhaled, trying to remain calm, he didn't want to get into a fight in the parking lot.

     "Do you hate me?" Seokjin's face was now sad.

     "Just get in the car for god sakes." Jungkook walked over to the driver's side and got in.

     "Seokjin, get in, we're going to the bar." Yoongi yelled, leaning his head out the open window.

     "No, we're not." Taehyung tried to pull him back into the car by his shirt, but he wiggled free.

     Seokjin got in, reaching over to grab the door to close it, leaning a little too far, Jungkook grabbed his shirt to stop him from tumbling out. Seokjin closed the door and laughed. He leaned his head back on the headrest and looked over at Jungkook.

     "Idiot." Jungkook was sure he was frothing at the mouth by now. He pulled out into the street, gripping the steering wheel so tight, it was threatening to snap in half at any minute.

     "Music!" Seokjin squealed and turned on the radio, the volume was a bit too loud. Jungkook turned it off. The first five minutes of the ride was a battle of Seokjin turning on the radio super loud and Jungkook clicking it off just as quick.

     "You're annoying when you're drunk, STOP!" Jungkook warned him.

     Seokjin withdrew his hand and turned around to look at Yoongi and Taehyung, who were sitting on opposites sides of the back seat, Yoongi was sticking his hand out the window, feeling the air go through his fingers and Taehyung, annoyed, was staring up at the moon. He then glanced back over at Jungkook, the younger was visibly agitated. "You're really adorable when you're mad." Seokjin gushed.

     "Don't." Jungkook seethed, now grasping the steering wheel as hard as he could, the knuckles of his left hand turned white.

     "Taehyung." Yoongi looked over at him. "Hey?"

     "What?" He answered but didn't look at the elder.

     "Thanks for coming." Yoongi put his hand on Taehyung's knee.

      "Yeah." Taehyung shook his leg and Yoongi removed his hand.

     Yoongi leaned up to Seokjin, his hands resting on the middle console. "Seokjin-"

     Jungkook slammed on the breaks, sending Yoongi flying into the dashboard, then back again, landing hard next to Taehyung in the seat.

     "What the hell?" Yoongi screamed out, grabbing his nose. Seokjin stared at Jungkook as the younger got out of the car and walked over to Yoongi's door, opened it and pulled him out. He threw him down to the ground, hard, Yoongi rolled a short distance, scraping up his knees and elbows. Seokjin fumbled with the door, as he tried to climb out quickly. Taehyung just slid from his side of the car to stick his head out of the window to watch, not bothering to exit the vehicle.

     "You can fucking walk home, you piece of shit." Jungkook used his foot to push Yoongi down off the side of the road, he tumbled into the ravine and landed in a small puddle of water. 

     "Woh, stop." Seokjin tried to grab Jungkook's arm, but Jungkook backed up.

     "Don't. touch. me." Jungkook screamed, pushing Seokjin back. "Don't you fucking touch me."

     Hoseok pulled up on the motorcycle, screeching to a halt, he yanked off his helmet. "What's going on?"

     Jungkook looked over at him, running his hand through his hair, he let out a small frustrated scream.

     Yoongi stood up, throwing off his wet shirt, cursing the water and Jungkook. Seokjin held out his hand to help pull him up out of the ditch. Yoongi stopped to look at Jungkook for a moment, deciding against fighting him while he was so drunk.

     "Yoongi, chill-" Seokjin barked at him.

     "Soon." Yoongi stared at Jungkook a few moments and then lumbered over and climbed on the back of the motorcycle. Hoseok handed him his hoodie and he slipped it on. Seokjin took one look at Jungkook, the younger's face scrunched up in anger and disgust, a chill ran up Seokjin's spine. He turned and started to walk down the street.

     "Seokjin?" Taehyung called out. The elder did not stop, he just kept walking. "Get him!" Taehyung told Jungkook, but Jungkook just got into the car, put it in drive and took off down the street, speeding past Seokjin, the rush of wind made Seokjin stumble. Hoseok pulled the bike up next to him, Yoongi now nearly passed out, leaning his head on Hoseok's back.

     "Do you want me to come back for you?" Hoseok asked him.

      Seokjin just shook his head and kept walking. Hoseok sighed, putting the helmet back on. He hit the throttle and sped off. Seokjin walked about a mile before stopping, clambering up on a giant boulder that was sedentary on the side of the road. He looked up at the moon, Jungkook's face kept running through his mind, the look Jungkook had given him made him realize how much he had fucked up. Crazy how walking in the brisk night air could sober you up so fast.

     He sat there for hours just thinking, picking at a patch of weeds that had grown up through a crack in the boulder. He watched the sun rise through the tree line, casting a spotlight on his face, it was bright given the fact that the sky was still a dull grey. The birds reminded him that there was still good in the world, chirping choruses all around him, serenading him with a cheerful splendor that somehow gave him a renewed vigor, it was peaceful but empowering.

     He heard the distinct roar of a motorcycle engine close by, he looked down the road and noticed one of Jacker's men approaching fast, he jumped down off the boulder and stood motionless in the middle of the street, each second that passed, the more determined he became. The man slowed down and stopped as he reached Seokjin. He removed his helmet questioning why Seokjin was standing in the way..on the most random stretch of road.

     "What are you doing?" The man asked and Seokjin grinned. 

     "I need to borrow some energy," Seokjin responded, a seriousness washed over his face.

     In one fell swoop, he grabbed him off the bike and slammed him down to the ground. He sliced through the skin on his back and inserted his hand, twisting it about as the man screamed out. He began to drain his energy, finding that the man didn't even need to turn into his beastly form, he could feel the raw power pulsating through him. It felt amazing. He closed his eyes and threw his head back, smiling.

 

     Seokjin came up the castle driveway on the motorcycle, Taehyung was standing at the kitchen window with Jungkook, looking out as the elder stopped and got off.

     "He looks sober." Taehyung mentioned.

     "Yeah, I don't care." Jungkook walked back over to the table and sat, picking at his eggs.

     "You ever gonna forgive him?" Taehyung watched Seokjin walked towards the house.

     Jungkook just shrugged.

     Seokjin walked into the kitchen and straight to the fridge, he snatched a water and drank it down in one large gulp, leaning on the refrigerator door for support.

     "Where did that bike come from?" Taehyung asked.

     "I could tell you, but you'd probably disapprove," Seokjin smirked. There was something different about him, Taehyung sensed it right away.

     "Well, now I'm curious." Taehyung pushed.

     "Jacker has one less man and I have a bit more power." Seokjin grabbed a second water and turned to Taehyung. "You seen Yoongi?"

     Jungkook threw down his fork, it made a loud clank against his plate, Seokjin looked over at him.

     "No." Taehyung frowned. "Did you do that power drain thing again?"

     "Yeah." Seokjin didn't think it was a big deal.

     "Why?" Taehyung asked and shot Jungkook a look like he should be concerned.

     "Because I can?" Seokjin grabbed an apple from the table and took a bite. "I'll see you later."

     He walked out and Taehyung leaned down over the table to get face to face with Jungkook. "He shouldn't be doing that-"

     "What do I care?" Jungkook raised his eyebrows.

     "It's dangerous." Taehyung informed him, "What if it makes him like Cato?"

     "Then I guess I'll kill him too." Jungkook pushed his plate away and stood. "I'm going for a walk."

     "What is wrong with you?" Taehyung called after Jungkook as he walked from the room.

 

     Yoongi was sitting in the gazebo next to the garden, sunglasses covering his eyes, he looked unwell. At this point, hungover would be an understatement. 

     "You look like poop," Seokjin muttered as he joined him and sat.

     "Surprising you don't." Yoongi replied, "What's your secret?"

     "May have sucked the life force out of someone today." He leaned his head back and look up at the sky. "This grey bullshit has to go."

     "Go give the little asshole a blowjob." Yoongi responded, unimpressed.

     "Taehyung still mad at you?" Seokjin looked back at him.

     "What exactly did I do last night?" Yoongi looked genuinely puzzled.

     "You kissed me." Seokjin griped.

     "Oh." Yoongi looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Did I like it?"

     "Nope." Seokjin shrugged, "Not for my lack of skills, though."

     Yoongi snorted. "Funny."

     "You should go talk to him." Seokjin urged.

     "Why do you think I've been sitting here near the garden for the last hour?" Yoongi leaned his head against the rail.

     "I should take my own advice." Seokjin sighed.

     "He obviously still cares or he wouldn't get so jealous." Yoongi was attempting some enthusiasm. He moaned.

     "Yeah, good luck with Taehyung." Seokjin waved as he walked off.

 

     Jungkook was sitting in the library, trying to rid his mind of stray thoughts, several books were open in front of him, but he didn't really pay attention to what they were, he was in a fog when he grabbed them off the shelf...except for the one book that laid open on top of those, the one he was contemplating following the advice of. Seokjin walked in and over to a set of shelves, not noticing the younger sitting there. Jungkook watched him grab a book off the top shelf and open it up. The library felt small all of a sudden. He stood and closed the books in front of him, determined to go find any place else to sulk. Seokjin looked over.

     "Jungkook!" Seokjin exclaimed, not expecting to see him there.

     "The library is all yours," Jungkook responded, heading towards the door.

     "Jungkook, wait." Seokjin held out his arm to stop him.

     Jungkook grabbed the elder's shirt and pushed him against the bookshelf, almost knocking it over, several books toppled off and hit Seokjin on the head. "Leave me alone."

     Seokjin held his hands up, "Woh, I just want to talk."

     "Save it." Jungkook pushed through the door and slammed it behind him.

     Seokjin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, _Great!_ He bent down to pick up the books that fell and piled them back on the shelf, grabbing the one he had picked out earlier and tucking it under his arm. He went over and sat at the table, pushing that books that were sitting there, aside. He noticed the title of one of the book's Jungkook had been reading. 'Broken Bonds'. He picked it up, the chapter on 'Getting out of a Bond.' had the corner folded over.

 

     Jungkook was walking down the driveway when Seokjin caught up with him, he shoved the book into his gut and Jungkook caught it and looked down at it.

     "Why do you have this?" Seokjin asked him, out of breath.

     "You're not stupid, think." Jungkook shoved it back to Seokjin and started walking again.

     "You want out of this bond?" Seokjin got choked up.

     Jungkook stopped and turned at him. "I don't want it anymore."

     Seokjin was at a loss for words, his stomach churned, he felt like he was about to throw up. "Jungkook, I-"

     "You what?" Jungkook was impatient. 

     "Is that what you really want?" Seokjin asked him, everything inside of him suddenly felt empty.

     "Yeah, it's what you wanted." 

     "I don't-" Seokjin's voice cracked.

     "Well I do, I'm tired of being attached to you," Jungkook said coldly.

     Seokjin looked down, he didn't know what to say, what he could say, hearing Jungkook say those words broke his heart. He felt like someone had knocked the wind out of him.

     "Anything else?" Jungkook raised his eyebrows.

     "You can't mean th-that?" Seokjin looked up at him, all the color had drained from his face.

     "I do mean it, I don't want to be with you..or around you at this point-"

     "Don't say that." Seokjin felt his world crashing. 

     "This is what you asked for." Jungkook raised his voice, "You wanted this, so don't be surprised when I want the same thing."

     "I don't want this, any of this." Seokjin yelled.

     "Well, too late." Jungkook looked away. "I can't stand you anymore."

     Seokjin felt the tear roll down his face, he didn't bother wiping it. "Don't just say that just because you're mad at me-"

     "I don't say things I don't mean." Jungkook looked up at him. "As soon as this thing with Cato is done, I'm gone."

     "So this is... over?" Seokjin asked him, not wanting to know the answer.

     "This was a joke, let's just face it. You never wanted me in your life, I was just some dumb kid you got stuck with. Your weakness." Jungkook shrugged, "It's not over, it just never was anything to begin with."

     "That's not true-"

     "I'm done," Jungkook announced, his tone final. He shrugged. "Enjoy your life."

     Something in Seokjin snapped as he watched Jungkook walk away. Suddenly everything in him was gone. He had no reason to be here anymore, no reason to care about anything now. His eyes turned black, his stare blank as he watched Jungkook disappear through the brush. He hurried off, back towards the castle.

     Seokjin grabbed the dagger from the lab cabinet, after ransacking the contents in in the other cabinets during his search. He stuck it in a sheath on his belt. Taehyung walked in, stopping short when he saw the condition of the room. Seokjin turned towards him and Taehyung backed up, seeing Seokjin like this gave him an instant fear, the hairs on his arm stood straight up.

      "Seokjin?" Taehyung stuttered, "Wha-what are you doing?"

      "Stay out of my way," Seokjin growled and pushed Taehyung away from the door and bolted out.

 

     Seokjin got on his motorcycle and started it up. Taehyung came running out of the castle, stepping in front of the bike.

     "Seokjin, stop-" Taehyung gasped when he felt the claws swipe across his face, he grabbed his face and looked at the blood on his hand, Seokjin swung the bike around, swaying the back of the bike and knocking Taehyung onto the grass. He peeled off down the driveway kicking up rocks and sand, Taehyung swatted away the dust as he stood, watching as Seokjin stopped at the gate and entered the code, then zoomed down the road, out of sight.

     Jungkook was with Namjoon when Taehyung burst in, blood gushing from his cheek, out of breath.

     "Taehyung, what-"

     "Seok-Seokjin, he's gone." Taehyung stammered, leaning on the desk for support, "He took the dagger and left."

     "What?" Namjoon was alarmed.

     "He stared right through me like he barely knew who I was."

     "Stay here." Namjoon rushed out of the room. Taehyung turned to Jungkook.

     "I think he's going to try to kill Jacker." Taehyung swallowed hard, "Why now?"

     Jungkook sat on the edge of the desk, staring at the floor. "I told him it was over."

     "You what?" Taehyung looked at him, shocked. "Why?"

     "Because I'm done," Jungkook responded.

     "Jungkook, why?" Taehyung grabbed him by the shoulders.

     Namjoon and Yoongi came back in, Yoongi had his phone up to his ear, Jungkook tensed up seeing him.

     "What did you say to him?" Yoongi pushed Taehyung aside and stood in front of Jungkook, angry.

     "He told him it was over..." Taehyung sat down on the couch.

     Yoongi pushed end call. "No answer."

      Hoseok came in. He stopped short when he felt how tense everyone was.

     "What happens if a bond is broken?" Namjoon asked him.

     "It's different with hybrids." Hoseok looked at Jungkook, "A broken bond for a full Onyx is death, they self-destruct."

     "What about for someone like Seokjin?" Yoongi asked, concerned.

     "I don't know 100%, but I suspect if Jungkook were to attempt to break the bond that he wouldn't give a shit about anything anymore."

     Jungkook scoffed. "Weakness removed." 

     Yoongi decked him, knocked him on his ass, right off the desk. "You just killed him," Yoongi yelled.

     Jungkook looked up at him, he shook his head, "I killed him? You put it into his head that I was the problem." Jungkook stood and pushed Yoongi back. "For what Yoongi? Because you were jealous?"

     "Why would you give up on him?" Yoongi grabbed Jungkook by the shirt and shook him. "You weren't supposed to give up on him."

     Taehyung grabbed Yoongi and pulled him away. "This isn't solving anything."

     "He's going to go kill Jacker." Namjoon covered his mouth, deep in thought.

     "He can't do it alone." Yoongi felt like a ton of bricks had hit him all at once, he was about to lose his best friend. "Can we stop him?"

     "If we alert Jacker, he'll kill him on the spot." Namjoon sat on the edge of the desk, "The only chance he has is that Jacker will be caught off guard."

     "I can't just sit here, I'm going after him." Yoongi went towards the door.

     "Yoongi-" Namjoon called and he stopped. "By the time you get there, it will have already happened and they will just kill you too."

     "You want me to just stand here while they kill my best friend?" Yoongi yelled and then turned to Jungkook, "Why are you so calm?"

     Jungkook wasn't calm, he was numb.

     "You go and you're dead too." Namjoon stood in front of him. "We need to come up with another plan, we still have to worry about Cato."

     "Cato doesn't care about the vampires." Yoongi looked up at Namjoon. "I just care about my best friend dying..alone."

     

     Seokjin had already killed three of Jacker's men at the gate and drained them of their power. He made his way up to Jacker's mansion, pushing the door open, he strode in, the door slammed against the wall. Two of Jacker's men, who were positioned by the stairs, looked over at him. They weren't sure what to make of Seokjin standing there.

     Seokjin sniffed the air, _humans_.

     "Woh, what do you want?" The guard asked and Seokjin seized him by the throat and snapped it. The other guard fumbled with his gun, but Seokjin just snatched it away and crushed it like a tin can, throwing it aside. He grabbed the man and bit down into his neck, ripping it out. He wiped the blood from his mouth as the man fell to the floor, dead.

     Seokjin marched up the stairs, bursting through the doors of Jacker's office.

     Jacker stood, "Seokjin?"

     Seokjin rammed the dagger through his heart before he could even register what was going on. Seokjin backed up, breathing heavy, he watched as Jacker looked down at the dagger, shocked. Jacker stumbled and fell against the desk, trying to pull the dagger out, but it was stuck.

     Two werewolves rushed into the room and Seokjin dropped them just as quick, draining them and tossing their bodies aside. He turned back to Jacker as he thumped down in his seat, his hands grasping the dagger still stuck in his chest, he yanked at it, but it wouldn't budge.

     "H-How?" Jacker coughed up blood, a thick black slime oozed down his chin.

     "This truce just wasn't working for me." Seokjin smiled, tracing his fangs with his tongue, like a strange eroticism overcame him as he watched his enemy dying. He had waited for this moment for so long, it was bittersweet. He was finally free of the years of pent-up anger that Jacker caused him to hang on to. "I almost wish it wasn't so anti-climatic, you deserved to suffer more."

     Jacker's skin started to turn a silvery-grey, an almost metallic-like sheen glimmering in the light from his desk lamp. His hand fell to the side, he could no longer hold it up, the skin tightened around his finger and ran up through his wrist, as if it was turning to stone. He watched as Seokjin walked over to the fireplace and pulled off the antique halberd from the plaque on the wall. His eyes glossed over as his other hand fell to the side. Jacker was paralyzed, the skin all the way up to his neck had petrified rendering him a leather-like meat sack. His heart and organs were seconds away from shutting down.

     "Let's be clear here, Jacker, "Seokjin leaned over him, an evil scowl spread across his face. "I won. I beat you."

     "Touché." He gurgled. All Jacker could do now was watch helplessly as Seokjin swung the halberd down. * **CHOP*.** Then nothing.

     

      Cato was standing on a balcony on the second floor, staring down at Seokjin as he approached the doors of his hideout. It was an old warehouse near the water, where the fog was thick and the smell of seawater was strong. It was a huge step up from hiding in the caves and forests of some godforsaken area of the world that no one ever dare venture into. Seokjin had found this place through instinct, like he had some sort of connection to it. The sun was sinking in the sky behind them, making everything appear orange, how fitting a setting under these circumstances. Seokjin threw Jacker's head down on the wood of the pier that surrounded the warehouse and Cato looked down at it as it rolled to a stop.

     Cato smiled, his large fangs scraping his lip. Cato resembled an immense upright wolf, except the tail and ears of an onyx were smaller, its claws and snout were bigger, with thick, black fur covering everything. Since he wasn't turned, this was his everyday look. Seokjin found it hard to believe he originated from that. He wondered how a human would ever think to mate with such a thing.

     "Shall I assume you've come to your senses?" Cato spoke, the hybrids around him cowering at his voice. Seokjin just stared at him, not a smidgen of fear apparent.

     "I will see you on the full moon," Seokjin announced and turned to walk away, neither pledging nor denying his allegiance to Cato. Cato sensed that his grandson was starting to understand his birthright.

     "It's only the beginning," Cato yelled after him. He felt the energy of the werewolves Seokjin had drained emanating from him, and how much Seokjin was enjoying it. 

 

     Namjoon stepped over several bodies at the door of Jacker's mansion, looking around. There had to be at least 20 bodies littering the grounds and driveway. He looked over at Yoongi and Hoseok whose faces were just as grim as his own. Taehyung bumped into Jungkook who had stopped dead in his tracks the second they stepped around the car.

     "Jesus." Yoongi uttered. "What has he done?"

     "Looks like he's discovered the power of draining." Namjoon was troubled.

     "What does that mean for us?" Taehyung's expression was somber.

     "I don't know, but he's dangerous now." Namjoon went inside the house.

      When they reached Jacker's office, they all stood there horrified, their mouths wide open in shock. Jacker's headless body laid on the floor by his desk, his blood had soaked and dried into the carpet fibers, the dagger still sticking out of his chest. Namjoon bent down and pulled it out, his body jolted from the pressure, disintegrating into ashes as Namjoon backed away.

      "How was he able to do this?" Yoongi asked, astounded that his best friend had done all this single-handedly.

      "I suspect he really truly doesn't fear death anymore, that and with the power he's consuming from the werewolves." Namjoon sunk down on the couch. 

     "The prophecy has come true," Hoseok muttered.

     "Seokjin wouldn't do that," Jungkook spoke up and they all looked at him.

     "Why wouldn't he?" Yoongi shrugged, "He has no reason not to."

      Jungkook looked away.

     "What are we going to do now?" Taehyung asked, "Nari said the only way Jungkook could beat Cato was to drain Jacker's energy."

     Namjoon thought for a moment, a dark look in his eyes, "Jacker's not the only person Jungkook can drain for the power to beat Cato."

     They all assumed he meant Seokjin, if he had truly gone bad, then Jungkook would have to stop him.

     "I won't kill Seokjin." Jungkook gasped.

     "You already have." Yoongi pushed past Jungkook and walked from the room.

     "There's another." Namjoon stood. "Come on, we have a lot of preparing to do."

     They all walked out, except for Jungkook, he looked down at Jacker's remains, remembering the look in Seokjin's eyes when he told him he was done. He had tried so hard to remain numb for these last few weeks, one minute trying to hate Seokjin, the next trying not to hate him. Struggling to find a way to accept that Seokjin felt justified in what he had done and see that from his point of view, but it all just hurt too much, he had loved Seokjin for so long, he didn't know how not to love him. Numb was the easiest thing to be.

 

     Taehyung shut the door behind Jungkook as he walked out, and turned to walk away when he heard a faint voice calling out for help.

     "Wait," Taehyung yelled and Namjoon and Jungkook stopped to look at him. "Did you hear that?"

     The voice called out again.

     "Someone's alive." Namjoon's eyes widened.

     Taehyung ran back into the house, he followed the sound of the voice until he came to a door, it lead down into the basement. He followed the corridor until he reached the end, a large door stood before him. He opened the door slowly and stopped in his tracks. _Jimin._

     "Taehyung." Jimin was leaning against the bars of the cell he was in. Jimin was alive.

     "Jimin." Taehyung choked. He walked over to the bars.

     "The key." Jimin motioned towards the dead guard on the floor, and the ring of keys dangling off his belt. Taehyung bent down and snatched them off, turning back to the bars, he found the tarnished skeleton key.

     "Wait..." Taehyung stopped, the key hovering several inches from the lock.

     "Taehyung, please." Jimin pleaded, meeting his brother's eyes.

     Yoongi walked in, stopping short when he saw what Taehyung was about to do. Jimin backed up from the bars as Yoongi rushed over and pulled Taehyung back. "Don't."

     "I have to." Taehyung pushed Yoongi aside and stuck the key in, turning the lock and pushing the bars open. Jimin looked at him.

     "Thank you." Jimin nodded his head. Taehyung held out his hand, Jimin looked down at it, slowly reaching out to take it. Taehyung pulled him in for a hug, Jimin wrapped his arm around his brother, closing his eyes, thankful for the embrace. "Tae-"

     Taehyung pushed him back, looking him straight in the eye, "I may have forgiven you for what you've done, but I will never forget it."

     "I will never forgive myself." Jimin looked down. Yoongi rolled his eyes.

     "Laying it on a bit thick?" Yoongi mumbled. Taehyung ignored him.

     "Come back to the castle with us." Taehyung urged, Jimin seemed hesitant. "You'll be safe there."

     Jimin stepped out of the cell, "Are you sure?"

     "No." Yoongi shook his head.   

     "Yes." Taehyung said at the same time, exchanging glances with Yoongi. "I can't promise everyone else will be so forgiving."

     "Wouldn't be right if they did," Jimin headed to the door, "But, I have no place else to go."

     Yoongi shot Taehyung a glance suggesting he was crazy.

     "I hope you don't regret this." Yoongi told him and walked past Jimin, pushing him out of the way.

     Taehyung sighed. _I hope I don't either._

    


	32. Worry

     Two days left until the full moon. Namjoon was so busy with preparations, he was going on hour thirty-two of no sleep. No one was quite sure what he was up to, he was so secretive. Sometime around noon, he went to see the council...for the third time in two days.

     Hoseok and Taehyung were in the lab, perfecting some weapons and experimenting with herbs and potions. Taehyung knew he didn't stand a chance against a hybrid, he felt his best bet was to hide somewhere high and be a sniper, take out as many hybrids as he could from a nice, safe distance. The castle's bell tower was the perfect place.

     Jimin sat alone in his room, not moving. His father had scolded him so bad about the mess he caused before he had left for work, it had really downed his mood. Add to that the looks that the pack members gave him, it reminded him how unwanted he was here. He felt like less of a distraction holed up in his room.

     Yoongi spent the last 12 hours searching for Seokjin. Searching all the places he knew Seokjin frequented when he went away to think or train or fight, even trying all the places that Seokjin liked to eat, but he came up empty each time. He couldn't imagine where Seokjin would have gone, he was a bit of a creature of habit.

     Seokjin sat cross-legged on the beach, a small fire lit in front of him, a nylon tent set up behind him. He was staring at the fire, entranced by it. The sounds of crashing waves filled his ears, flashbacks of all the good times he and Jungkook had had together playing like an old black and white movie in his mind, his heartbeat thumping in his chest, mimicking the feeling he had when he was with Jungkook. How could that be over? Was he supposed to go the rest of his life without ever feeling Jungkook's love again? 

     " _I'm done."_ Jungkook had said with that look in his eyes, the look that told Seokjin that he would die without ever hearing the younger say he loved him again...and he knew he deserved it. _You never deserved Jungkook's love in the first place._

     Jungkook stood at the window in his bedroom, looking up at the near-full moon. He missed Seokjin so much, his heart physically ached _._  He didn't expect coming out of numb meant he would feel everything all at once. It hurt far more than being hit physically..and he hated it. A broken heart was a death sentence.

     Jungkook dug into his pocket and took out his phone, staring at the lock screen for a few moments, it was a picture of Seokjin. He had snuck it when Seokjin wasn't paying attention when they were out on the lawn training. Seokjin had such a look of determination in his eyes that day. The picture filled Jungkook with hope. He had an idea and maybe it was a long shot, but just maybe by some miracle, Seokjin would read it and come home and they could talk. He typed; **Seokjin, where are you?** and hit send. 

     Seokjin's phone buzzed on the blanket next to him. He looked over. _Jungkook_. He opened it and saw the message, he smiled and was about to text back, _No, it's a trick, they've seen Jacker's place, they know what you did._ Jungkook had told him it was over, so why would the younger care where he was right now. The phone buzzed again and he looked down.

     The message:  **Seokjin, I'm sorry. Just come home. Please.** Seokjin scoffed. _Nice try Namjoon._ He stood up and walked to the water's edge, he looked down at the phone, drew his hand back and threw it as far as he could. Splash! It sunk below the water.

     Jungkook saw that Seokjin had read the message, he was hopeful. He dialed his number, hoping maybe he'd pick up, but it went straight to voicemail. _UGH!_ He threw the phone against the wall and it shattered, much like his faith. He plopped on his bed, sliding off down to the floor, he leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling fan. He had pushed Seokjin over the edge, there was a good chance he would never see the elder again, at least not alive. _Oh my god, what if Seokjin is on Cato's side? No, get that thought out of your mind Jungkook._ The truth was he had no clue what Seokjin was thinking right now. The sight he had seen at Jacker's mansion was grisly, and he did it all so easily. Seokjin was stronger and he wasn't in his right mind, he was capable of anything.  _Seokjin would never go against his pack..or you. period._

 

    Yoongi gunned the motorcycle up to 130 mph, zooming down the road, glaring up at the moon, searching his brain for a spot he might have missed. He had to find Seokjin, he wasn't even sure why, or what was compelling him, he just knew that his best friend was alone and he couldn't stand that. "Where the fuck are you, Seokjin?!" He screamed into the wind.

     The motorcycle started to sputter, Yoongi slowed down. _Shit. Gas_. He hadn't filled the tank in a while, the needle was on empty. He pulled it over and set the kickstand, taking off his helmet. He climbed off and looked down the road.

     "FUCK!" He yelled to no one. He threw the helmet down and paced a few times, wondering what to do. He could call Taehyung, but he wasn't even sure the kid would come pick him up, plus Yoongi had no clue where he was. He turned around in a circle, trying to get his bearings, the beach was to his left and woods to his right, but it looked like every other stretch of road for miles. He was lost...and he wasn't alone. He turned around quick towards the trees, a pair of red eyes glared back at him. Then two more sets of eyes appeared on either side. _Shit._  

     "Vampire." A grizzly voice called out, Yoongi squinted to try to make out which one was talking.

     "Who wants to know?" Yoongi yelled back.

     "Cato wishes to speak with you." Red eyes came into the moonlight, Yoongi could make out a portly man with older features, really worn down and ugly, covered in scars, and carrying a silver cane with a handle shaped like a skull. He was a bit overdressed for hanging out in the woods, clad in a long jacket, tie and bowler hat that screamed 1920's gangster.

     "You followed me out here hoping I'd run out of gas-"

     "Let's just say we have a two birds, one stone situation," Red eyes spoke.

     "I'm not interested in what Cato wants." Yoongi knew that answer wouldn't suffice.

     "He wishes to make an alliance with the Vampires." Red eye's face showed no emotion.

     "This has nothing to do with the vampires," Yoongi responded, flatly.

     "Not yet." Red eyes stood firm, the other two joined him. 

     "It's in your best interest to consider the proposal, the vampires are not strong enough to hold off a hybrid war." The second man added.

     "Threats won't get you what you desire." Yoongi was done with these people.

     "I am sure the vampires would like to be on the winning side of history." Red eyes boasted, "Hybrids are the future."

     "What sort of hybrids is Cato manufacturing?" Yoongi asked, wondering if the guy was trying to sell him on some sort of genetics plan; for $9.99, you too can have genetically mutated beings to fight for your dream cause.

     "The elite." The third man spoke.

     "That's not a species." Yoongi pointed out.

     "Cato has fathered children with many creatures, every species you could imagine." 

     "All the hybrids are Cato's children?" Yoongi was a tad freaked, the old fuck could still get his thang on?

     "Of course, a demigod would ensure good stock," Red eyes took a few steps towards him. "Imagine an army of creatures much like Seokjin. You can understand why you would want to be on the right side of that."

     Yoongi scratched the back of his neck, "No doubt. But I'm going to have to decline, I'm not much for group activities."

     "I don't think you understand, you don't have a choice. When Cato wants something, he gets it." Man two informed him. 

     "He didn't get Seokjin," Yoongi smirked, bored.

     "Are you so sure?" Red eyes smiled. Yoongi's confused expression made him laugh.

     The other two men went to stand on either side of Yoongi and he turned his head to glance at them both, "Killing me isn't going to fare well with my kind."

     "We're well aware of who you are." Red eyes circled around him, "Son of a demigod, royal blood. Pure. Heir to the throne of the vampire hierarchy" Red eyes was a little too excited. "You do not know what a gift that is."

     "Tell that to my mother." Yoongi spat. "My father brought nothing but heartache to my family, so don't ever bring that into the equation, I'm not their Prince."

     "Spoiled children, you and Seokjin." Red eyes' voice was raised, much like the veins in his neck. "Ignoring what you were born to do."

     "Only fools argue about birth rights and bloodlines."  Yoongi drew his claws, slashing the hybrid's neck to his right. He fell, gasping for breath, choking on his own blood. "It means jack shit to me."

      The second hybrid rushed at him, but Yoongi used his speed to move aside, turn and come up behind him, biting down into his neck and dropping him in a heap on top of the other dead guy.

     "This is not necessary." Red eyes seemed unfazed. He conjured up a red orb in his hand effortlessly, letting it float there on top of his palm. Yoongi looked at it, watching him pass it from one hand to the other.

      "Witch hybrids?" Yoongi was in disbelief, he wiped his chin with his sleeve.

      "I'm not a hybrid." Red eyes answered, "Just a mere follower."

     "That's a high-level spell." Yoongi looked at it, breathing heavy. 

     "You know about spells?" Red eyes looked at him impressed. "Then you know what this can do to a vampire."

     "Bloodlust." Yoongi was a bit panicked, "Drives a vampire insane."

     Red eyes smirked, "It would be best if you came with me."

     Yoongi clenched his jaw. Both options sucked, but he did not fancy going on a bloody rampage and then dying a most horrible death, though he was sure the latter would happen either way.

     "You shouldn't use a vampire's love of blood against them," Seokjin spoke, and Yoongi turned around quick, Seokjin was standing behind him, staring straight at Red eyes.

     "Seokjin." Red eyes didn't seem surprised to see him. The orb dissipated. "Come to take him in for me?"

     Yoongi focused his attention back on Red eyes, puzzled.

     "Sometimes friendship trumps family." Seokjin's gaze was intense. "All this talk about pureblood bullshit."

     "Then I shall assume that you're not on Cato's side." Red eyes sighed. "He will not be happy."

     "You suppose you're going to make it out of here alive?" Seokjin smirked, "You have some big balls."

     "I outclass you, you should know that a were-onyx is no match for me."

     Seokjin shrugged, "Maybe a normal one."

     "Cato's bloodline does not change this fact."

     "I've consumed well over 50 werewolves in the last 24 hours-" 

     "That is impossible." Red eyes interrupted, "Not even Cato has that power."

     "That's because Cato doesn't have werewolf blood in him." Seokjin expression turned to loathing. "Being pureblood isn't a gift."

     Red eyes wasted no time, he conjured up some air orbs and whisked them towards Seokjin and Yoongi, a simple, albeit effective diversion so he could escape. He tore off running back through the brush like a scared little rabbit. Yoongi was on his tail, weaving in and out of the trees, dodging orbs being shot his way.

     Moments later, they reached a small clearing where red eyes had parked his motorcycle, he jumped on, starting it up as Yoongi approached. He conjured up another red orb, but before he could finish it, Seokjin came bounding through the trees in all his hybrid glory. He pounced on the red-eyed witch, knocking him off the bike, catapulting him straight into a tall oak, his body wrapped around it, breaking his spine.

     "Aghhh-" He screamed out bloody murder, and several birds in the branches above flew off squawking out over being disturbed.

     Seokjin closed in, changing back to his human self as he stepped closer. Red eyes shot off a few half-hearted balls of light, but Seokjin just grabbed his hand and snapped it, causing him to yell out more.

     He coughed out a few incantations and Seokjin laughed. "You don't have the strength for that right now."

     Yoongi stood over him, looking down, shaking his head. "You're awful weak for such a high level."

     "Cato will kill you all." Red eyes snarled.

 

     The last thing that Red eyes saw before he died was the bloodied fangs of one pissed off vampire. Yoongi stood up and spit out a wad of blood. "Witches always did taste bitter."

     Seokjin smiled for a second, going back to serious in less than point five seconds. "What are you doing out here?"

     "Looking for you," Yoongi grumbled, removing his hoody and holding it out to Seokjin, luckily in the change, he hadn't lost his shorts.

     "I'm not going back." Seokjin clenched his jaw, he slipped on the hoody. "So if that's why you're here right now-"

     "I kind of just like the scenery." Yoongi joked, looking down at the lump of a witch on the ground, kicking it for good measure.

     Seokjin wasn't in the mood for small talk or company. He turned and trudged back through the woods, towards the road.

     "Wait up-" Yoongi took off after him.

 

     Seokjin crossed the road and proceeded through the small parking lot down to the beach. Yoongi zoomed past him, turned and stopped right in front of him, blocking his path. Seokjin halted, sighing.

     "I've been searching for you for the last twelve hours-"

     "I know, I saw you ride past like six hours ago." Seokjin stepped around him and sat down in front of his fire.

     "Well, thanks for that, dick." Yoongi sat down, holding his hands out in front of the fire, the air was getting colder, the warmth of the flames felt good.

     "The whole reason behind hiding is so no one finds you." Seokjin snapped. "Easy concept."

     "You belong back at the castle."

     "I'm sure you're all well aware of what I did-" Seokjin let out a puff of air, shaking his head.

     "No one thinks you're a monster." Yoongi looked over at him. "The thing with Jacker was reckless-"

     Seokjin looked out at the water. "Cato thinks I was weak for making that truce."

     "Who cares what Cato thinks?"

     "I'm not weak." Seokjin snarled. He stood and walked down to the water.

     "No one said you were weak-" Yoongi assured him.

     "I brought Jacker's head to his hideout" Seokjin huffed, "He probably thinks I'm on his side."

     "That's a pretty big move." Yoongi stood and tread down to the water's edge.

     "A pretty stupid move, you mean." Seokjin kicked at the sand with his feet.

     "No, a stupid move is being out here alone," Yoongi looked over at him, "Tomorrow is the full moon."

     "You want me to go back and pretend none of the shit in the last week happened?"

     "It doesn't have to go down this way-"

     "I know what I have to do." Seokjin picked up a shell, skipping it across the water, watching it disappear in a wave.

     "You don't have to do this alone-" Yoongi patted Seokjin's shoulder.

     "I don't want to be there, not with-"

     "Jungkook?" Yoongi interrupted.

     "I can't be there, let's leave it at that." Seokjin inspected the moon's reflection in the water's ripples like all the answers to the universe were contained within. He wished things were different, but they were what they were. He just wanted to think of something else for a change, anything to get his mind off Jungkook. It just hurt too much.

     "He's worried about you." 

     "Yeah, I don't need his pity." Seokjin threw another shell, "He made his decision."

     Yoongi exhaled loudly, his best friend was a stubborn ass, he knew he wouldn't be changing his mind about coming back to the castle, but he sure the hell wasn't going to leave him out here alone, especially with what happened earlier with red eyes, Seokjin was a sitting duck.

     "If you're going to be a stubborn ass, then I'm staying here with you." Yoongi raised his eyebrows, looking up at Seokjin. "Hope you have an extra sleeping bag."

     "Why would I bring two?" Seokjin whined. "Why are you like this?"

     "How else would I be?" Yoongi kicked sand at him. 

     "I don't need babysitting." Seokjin pushed him back, playfully.

     "I do." Yoongi remarked, shrugging.

      "True." Seokjin chuckled.

     "If this is my last night on earth, I would rather spend it with my best friend than pacing the halls of the castle wondering if I'll ever get to see you again." Yoongi glared down at the water as it stopped just short of his feet. Seokjin reached his hand out and grasped Yoongi's shoulder and squeezed. He couldn't argue with that sentiment.

 

     Taehyung was in the lab with Jungkook, studying a rather clever invention he had created for his garden today. He hoped that he would have a chance to get to test it out.  He couldn't bear what would happen to his beautiful garden if he didn't come back tomorrow, his prized herbs would die off feeling neglected with no one to tend to them. They'd probably become overrun with nasty critters, like those damn huge spiders that liked to lurk there. Even plants were innocent victims in this stupid war.

     "I wonder how man-eating plants would fare against hybrids." Taehyung thought aloud.

     "Vinea Interfectorem" Jungkook uttered, remembering something he read recently in the Book of Spells volume 4, "Killer vines."

     Taehyung was impressed, he was about to respond when his phone buzzed, he glanced down at it. _Yoongi._ Taehyung picked up his phone, staring at Jungkook. "It's Yoongi."

      "Answer it, maybe he found Seokjin." Jungkook walked around the table to stand behind him, impatient.

     Taehyung set his screwdriver down and swiped, bringing the phone to his ear. "Yoongi?"

     Jungkook pressed his ear next to Taehyung's phone, trying to hear.

     "I found him, but he's not coming back," Yoongi said on the other side.

     "Where are you?" Taehyung asked.

     "I can't say, he doesn't want anyone to come out here."

     "Tell him I want to talk to him," Jungkook called out.

     "He doesn't care." Yoongi snapped.

     "Is he okay?" Jungkook asked, taking the phone from Taehyung.

     "No, you killed him inside, you think he's sitting here being all happy?" Yoongi annoyance made Jungkook frown. "Give the phone back to Taehyung."

     "I just wanna know he's okay-"

     "I'll lie then, he's great." Yoongi's tone was nearing anger, "Give the phone back to Taehyung."

     "Fuck off, Yoongi." He thrust the phone back into Taehyung's hand and stormed out of the lab.

     "Do you have to be such an ass to him all the time?" Taehyung scolded him.

     "Just wanted you to know I found him and I'm going to stay here with him, I might not see you before everything goes down tomorrow night." Yoongi went quiet for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "Taehyung, I like you, I'm sorry I'm not good at this, I wanted you to know in case something happens to one of us."

     "Just keep yourself alive." Taehyung thought for a second, not sure if Yoongi knew the plans. "I'll be sniping from the bell tower."

     "These things are going to be tough, Cato's mixed his DNA with some bad creatures-" Yoongi's voice sounded sad. "So be careful."

     "I will, you too." Taehyung closed his eyes as the line clicked.  _Be safe Yoongi, I know this won't be the last time I hear your voice._

      He set his phone down on the lab table and leaned his head in his hands. Tomorrow is going to be hell. Pure hell.

 

      Jimin and Jungkook were sitting in the gazebo, talking. Jungkook was going out of his mind, between being worried about Seokjin, being mad at Yoongi, the whole battle tomorrow and losing his mother, he was seconds away from a nervous breakdown.

     "Do you want to be with him or not?" Jimin asked.

     "I do, I just can't if he is going to push me away whenever shit gets rough." Jungkook looked over at Jimin, "What's the point of this stupid bond if it keeps us apart?"

     Jimin nodded, "Yeah, but tomorrow man, it could all be over, one of you could die."

     Jimin was right, Jungkook had so many things he needed to tell Seokjin before everything went down...he needed to see him. He needed things to be okay with the elder.

     "I tried," Jungkook leaned back, frustrated. "He won't tell me where he is."

     "You do know our bikes have GPS trackers in them right?" Jimin mentioned.

     "Are you serious?" Jungkook sat up, excited.

     "Yeah, I'm sure Yoongi didn't think to dismantle it." Jimin reckoned, giving Jungkook a reassuring smirk.

     Jungkook stood, "You're brilliant."

     "Go get him-"

     "Jimin..." Jungkook thought for a moment, "If I don't get to see you before tomorrow...take care of yourself."

     Jimin nodded. He watched as Jungkook sped off towards the front of the house. 

 

     Jungkook was speeding down the highway no less than five minutes later, the blinking dot on the GPS of the bike Yoongi had taken was a good distance away, and if he was any kind of a decent estimator, he figured it was a good half-hour ride. Many thoughts ran through his head; what was he going to say when he got there? What if Seokjin told him to go home? What if Seokjin couldn't forgive him? It was best if Jungkook didn't think about that, he knew he would change his mind about going if he thought too hard about everything that could go wrong. Truth was, he felt he had every right to treat the elder the way he had because Seokjin had pushed him away so harshly and Jungkook really did believe for a minute that the bond was more trouble than it was worth. The lingering thoughts of not getting the chance to talk to him before all hell broke loose loomed over him, and what if he never did get the chance to tell him that no matter what, he still loved him. He would always love him.

     Before he knew it, he had passed by Yoongi's bike, which was still parked on the side of the road. He slowed up and circled back around, stopping directly behind Yoongi's bike. He dismounted and removed his helmet, fluffing up his hair. He noticed a small fire down the beach and two silhouettes sitting in front of it. _Seokjin_.

     He set his helmet down and took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. He took a few steps when someone wrapped a rag covered hand around his mouth, pulling him in tight. He struggled for several moments to break free, knocking his helmet off the bike seat. He felt so dizzy, whatever was on this rag was making him sleepy. He couldn't push it off his mouth. His limbs were weakening, his head felt heavy.  _So tired._

     "Sleep, young one." A gruff voice whispered next to his ear. "Don't fight it."

     "Seokjin-" The muffled words escaped his mouth, but they weren't loud enough, the rag drowned out his voice's volume. Jungkook was fading fast, he could no longer resist the sleep. Three seconds later, he passed out, going limp in the stranger's arms. The figure threw Jungkook's unconscious body over his shoulder and made a swift retreat back into the woods.

 

     The morning sun broke the horizon in its usual hues of yellow, lighting the beach up from its dreary state. Seokjin had already taken down the tent and packed up his belongings, he hadn't been able to sleep, spending most of the night just staring into the campfire. The dancing flames had the opposite effect on Yoongi, it made him drowsy within minutes, he slept like a baby.

Yoongi was down by the water swishing his hands around in the chilly water in the sandbar, he patted his face trying to wake himself up.  _Ugh, salty, nasty, cold water._ He stood, shielding his eyes from the golden light shining down on him. "My bike has no gas," Yoongi called over, throwing on his shades, the sun was too bright this early in the morning. "We should at least move it into a parking spot or something."

     "Go do that, I'll come pick you up." Seokjin ordered and Yoongi nodded and walked off.  

 

      Yoongi approached the spot where his bike sat, he noticed a second bike parked behind it, he stopped. "What the fuck?" He looked around to see if someone was in the area, but there was no one in sight. He spotted a cracked helmet sitting on the ground and was about to pick it up when he realized the bodies of two henchmen he killed last night were no longer in the brush. Seokjin pulled his bike up and stopped.

     "Why are there two bikes?" He dismounted, reaching down to pick up the helmet, he sniffed the inside. "Jungkook!"

     "What?" Yoongi grabbed the helmet and sniffed, "How can you tell?"

     "I know his smell." Seokjin bent down, noticing a set of footprints leading off into the woods, he stood and followed them, Yoongi close behind. They came to the clearing where Red eyes had met his demise, his body was gone, so was his motorcycle.

     "Their clean-up crew is fast," Yoongi commented, examining the tree that had crushed red eyes' spine, not even a trace of blood was left behind.

     The footprints disappeared, turning into car tire skid marks, leading off down the dirt road.

     "They left in a hurry." Seokjin was about to turn away, when he noticed a shiny object reflecting the sun, glimmering from the ground. He bent down to pick it up, it was Jungkook's necklace, the one Seokjin had given him when he 'turned' for the first time. His heart dropped.

     "Yoongi, they took him." Seokjin was frantic, he began pacing and forth.

     Yoongi grabbed his shoulders. "Calm down-"

     Seokjin pushed him away, "Why was he out here? How did he know where we were?"

     "GPS tracker." Yoongi realized, looking down, "I didn't disable mine before I left."

     "I'm going to kill Cato." Seokjin pocketed the necklace and started back towards the bikes, Yoongi grabbed his arm.

     "You can't go in there and just rescue him, Cato will kill you."

     "I don't care, you don't get it. This bond didn't make me weak, this bond gave me a reason to care about someone more than just myself..I don't care what Cato does to me, but if he hurts Jungkook...I can't handle that." 

     "He's going to use Jungkook against you-"

     "Yeah, well I'd rather die saving the person I love than live another minute missing him." Seokjin ran off back through the woods.

      _Shit_. Yoongi took out his phone and dialed Namjoon. He filled Namjoon in on what was going on and waited for Hoseok to come pick him and the two bikes up, it was noon before he got back to the castle.

 

     Seokjin reached Cato's hideout around noon as well, screeching to a halt and setting the kickstand on the bike. He looked up at the warehouse front, guns trained on him as he rushed up to the building, he pushed through the door to find Cato was standing in the middle of the giant room surrounded by his hybrids. Jungkook, still half asleep from the drug, was kneeling in front of him, hands tied behind his back, his eyes facing the floor. 

     "Let him go," Seokjin growled, his eyes had turned to black and his aggression could be felt by all in the room, several looked scared, several discussed in hushed whispers that this power he had matched Cato's, others seethed at the sight of him. Most of them in awe of finally seeing him in the flesh.

     "I thought this might get your attention," Cato spoke softly, no hint of worry in his voice.

     "Let him go!" Seokjin repeated, louder this time.

     A hungry hybrid rushed forward towards Seokjin, wanting blood. Seokjin grabbed him by the throat and squeezed hard, dropping him to his knees in seconds, he did not take his eyes off Cato. Several hybrids aimed their guns at him ready to take him out, but Cato waved his hand and they begrudgingly put them away. The hybrid began to choke under the pressure of Seokjin's grip.

     "There is no need for theatrics Seokjin, I won't hurt the boy." Cato smiled, making Seokjin even angrier. "I just need one thing from you."

     "What?" Seokjin ripped out the hybrids throat, not bothering to look down as he fell to the pavement twitching, his blood spilling out on the grey stone.

     "Must you kill off your family?" Cato groaned and waved his hand again. "Take the body away." 

     Two hybrids grabbed the body and dragged it away, leaving a trail of deep red behind them.

     "What do you want from me?" Seokjin maintained his stare.

     "You rule by my side and I will reconsider my position on the werewolves." Cato wrapped his hand around the back of Jungkook's neck and guided him to stand, Jungkook focused his eyes on Seokjin. "I will also consider letting the boy live."

     "Se-Seokjin?" Jungkook yelled out, weak.

     Seokjin balled up his fists. "You have thousands of children to rule by your side, why would you need me?"

     "None of them are perfect like you, Seokjin. You were conditioned for greatness from the moment you were born, until your mother stole you away from me."

     "You expect me to believe anything you say?" Seokjin spat.

     "You have been lead to believe bad things about me, by people jealous of my power." Cato pushed Jungkook forward, he fell on his side at Seokjin's feet. "You don't know the full story, Seokjin."

     Seokjin laughed out. "What kind of fool you take me for?" He looked down at Jungkook, who was looking up at him, his eyes still that same pale shade of blue. "You want to wipe out an entire species by draining them of their power. I know your plans." Seokjin bent down and undid Jungkook's ties and then helped him to stand. "Are you hurt?"

     "Seokjin-" Jungkook coughed, "He wants your power, don't trust him."

     Cato hurled a dagger at Jungkook, his body lurched forward as it hit, slicing through his skin and anchoring itself in his back muscles, Seokjin caught him in his arms as the younger groaned out in pain.

     "Take them away." Cato motioned to several of his children.

     Seokjin removed the dagger from Jungkook's back as he laid the younger down on the floor softly and swung at the first two hybrids that came forth, striking them both in the chest, spilling their guts onto the floor in obscene clops. He fought off the other five that came at him with elbows and dagger slices until Cato grabbed him by the throat. Seokjin slammed the dagger through Cato's wrist, but he didn't even flinch, he just squeezed Seokjin's throat harder. Seokjin latched on to his arm to try to break himself free, but he couldn't budge him. His legs went numb, then his whole body began to tremble.

     "Stop, you're killing him." Jungkook tried to stand, but one of the hybrids pinned him down with a foot pressed against his chest, he was too weak to fight them off.

     "I can't do that until tonight, with the full moon's effect, he will be at the peak of his power." Cato watched as Seokjin's eyes went back to normal and began to roll up into his head. He threw Seokjin down to the hard concrete, the impact knocked him out cold.

 

     Seokjin's eyes crept open, Jungkook's face came into focus, the younger's face just inches away, Seokjin flinched back, "Woh."

     "Get up." Jungkook pulled him up to sit then situated himself crossed legged in front of him, checking the elder's head to see if his wounds had healed.

     "What happened?" Seokjin's head was throbbing, he rubbed his temples and looked around the room, trying to pinpoint where he was.

     "Where's Yoongi?" Jungkook asked, staring at the elder. "Was he with you?"

     "No, I left him back at the beach, I'm sure he went back to the castle."

     "So Namjoon knows where we are?" Jungkook hoped.

     Seokjin pulled out the GPS tracker from his pocket and held it out. "They do now."

     Jungkook smiled. "There's about 7 hours left until dusk. Do you think you can heal by then?"

     "Yeah." Seokjin scooted back against the wall, "Are you okay, did he hurt you?"

     "I'm good." Jungkook nodded, "Namjoon has a plan."

     "Good, because I fucked everything up." Seokjin stared into the younger's eyes. "With a lot of things."

     Jungkook joined him against the wall. "I'm sorry."

     "No, you have nothing to be sorry for." Seokjin felt instant regret, "I was a fucking coward."

     "You came after me knowing that you probably wouldn't have made it back out, that's not being a coward." Jungkook rested his head on Seokjin's shoulder, slipping his hand into Seokjin's, interlacing their fingers.

     "I couldn't let you die." Seokjin swallowed back tears, "Not without you knowing how I feel-"

     "When we get out of this and kill Cato, you can make it up to me." Jungkook squeezed Seokjin's hand. 

     "Awful confident." Seokjin flashed a groggy smirk. He was just so happy to be here with Jungkook, he didn't care about anything else at the moment.

     Jungkook leaned in and kissed him. _Fireworks_. Everything felt perfect, even if just for a small moment in the midst of a shit storm.

     "You better not die on me, you have a lot to make up for." He leaned back against the wall and Seokjin laid his head in the younger's lap. Jungkook stroked his hair, staring down at Seokjin as the elder yawned and closed his eyes. He was beautiful laying there, Jungkook knew in this instance that if they could make it through this, they could make it through anything. He knew their moment would come, and he would show Seokjin just how much he meant to him, but for now they needed to rest. Restore their energy. Enjoy what might be their last moment together. In seven hours everything would change. He just hoped whatever Namjoon was planning was solid.

 

 

* * *

I'm sorry this took so long, no matter what I wrote, I hated and had to rewrite and then hate it again lol.  The wording was lacking and I didn't want to publish something that was shit.  I hope you like it.  The big battle is coming up. Thank you to all that have read up to this point!! and thank you for the comments - they mean the world!!


	33. Showdown

     Three hours until dusk. The castle looked like a scene from some war story set in the medieval era, every corner of the property brimming with activity; pack members running to and fro completing last minute tasks to get the castle ready, making sure they were well equipped and the castle was fortified. Everyone's second priority was to tell their loved ones how they felt, since no one was guaranteed to come out of this alive, there was no telling what and who would still be standing tomorrow. This was very well the last moments of some of their lives. Everyone was nervous or scared, some were even excited to be part of a battle again. It had been a long while since there was a reason to fight. 

      Back in the office, Namjoon was staring at himself in the mirror, his life was about to change. His visit to the council was unsuccessful, their decision just added to his stress, but he knew what he had to do. He wasn't going to let his pack members fight this alone - if that meant he had to live among them as a mortal from this point on, then so be it. If he died tonight, then at least he would die a hero. What good was being immortal if his pack members looked at him like he was a coward? If he could do nothing to help them when they needed it most? No, that was not who he was, he was their leader and he needed to be out there with his pack tonight,  fighting.

     

      Taehyung and Hoseok were finishing up in the lab, the last twenty minutes had been pretty quiet, not much talking to do, since most of the prep work was already done. They were just existing in quiet reflection.

     "I'm going to recheck some things before it gets too late." Hoseok began to throw some supplies into his book bag.

     "Okay." Taehyung wasn't paying him much mind, he was bent down in the cabinet, rummaging through herbs and ointments. 

     Jimin walked in, Hoseok watched Jimin walk over to Taehyung and stop behind his brother, looking like he had a million things on his mind.

     "Tae, can we talk for a second?" Jimin asked leaning up against the cabinet, looking down at him.

     "Kind of pressed for time." Taehyung didn't look up.

     "I want to help-"

     "No offense, but no one trusts you." Hoseok butted in.

     "I seem to remember there was a time people said the same about you." Jimin reminded him.

     Hoseok was about to yell at him, but he couldn't dispute the truth. He turned back around to what he was doing, letting the brothers be. Jimin turned back to Taehyung, his expression glum.

     "You can help me secure the tower." Taehyung motioned towards the lab table, on top was his book bag filled with equipment. He stood up, loading up a case. "If you want."

     "Yeah, I would like that." Jimin grabbed the book bag and zipped it up, throwing it over his shoulder.

     "I don't know what species these things are," Taehyung explained, "So, I need to go with the generic poison."

     "Generic poison?" Jimin asked, turning to his brother.

     "Wolfsbane." Taehyung held up the case of bullets with hollow tips containing the blueish liquid. He closed the container and set it in a second book bag as he turned back to Jimin like he was hit with a wave of apathy the minute he looked into his eyes. "Ready?"

     "Yeah." Jimin hated seeing the hurt in Taehyung's eyes, his pale grey eyes. Taehyung used to have such brilliant brown eyes, the whole world lit up in them,  excitement and wonder hidden in every dark speck. Taehyung always had an innocence about him, but now staring back at him, in these lifeless eyes were betrayal and hurt and that was all his fault.

 

     The belltower was strangely quiet, none of the hustle and bustle buzzing around in their ears like down on the ground. Jimin glanced out at the horizon, funny how peaceful everything looked from up here. He wrestled with thoughts of if he should try to talk to Taehyung about everything that went down, but really, what could he say? He not only watched his brother die, but he held him still while Meredith ended his life, no amount of words could fix that. 

     "I miss the old you." Taehyung broke the silence, stopping the tinkering for a moment. "Before that girl got in your head."

     "Me too." Jimin looked down. If only time machines were real.

     "No matter what happens today, you'll always be my brother." Taehyung put his hand on Jimin's shoulder, "And I don't mean just by blood."

     Jimin looked up at him. How could Taehyung be so forgiving? "Why don't you hate me?" Jimin wiped the tears that streamed down his face.

     "Hatred is what caused all this, if everyone would just stop trying to be so superior and except one another, none of this would be happening." Taehyung took a deep breath, "It's stupid."

     Jimin nodded, he knew too well what hatred did to a person...and what issues blindly believing in someone without all the facts could cause.

     Taehyung's phone vibrated and he looked down, it was a text message from Namjoon. "Namjoon wants us to come down to the foyer when we're done."

    "I'm done, best it's gonna be." Jimin patted the mechanism, shaking it a bit to test it's is structural soundness.

     "It looks good." Taehyung looked it over and then turned to Jimin. "Listen, I know you feel like shit about what you did, and you should, but leave it up here. If you go out there tonight with shit on your mind, they will pick you apart."

     Taehyung held out his hand for a handshake, but Jimin pulled him in for a hug, "I'm going to make it up to you Tae, I promise. When this is over, I'm going to make it all up to you."

     

     Namjoon was standing a third of the way up the stairs, staring down at his pack, everyone was quiet, staring intently back at him. Taehyung and Jimin walked in and joined Hoseok and Yoongi in the back.

     "What's going on?'" Taehyung whispered to Yoongi, the elder looked over at him. Taehyung didn't expect the kiss that Yoongi thrust upon him, but he smiled. His knees felt weak, but somehow he managed to stay upright, slipping his hand into Yoongi's.

     "Epic speech time," Yoongi smirked.

     Taehyung looked up at Namjoon, their leader, the man that he admired so very much. Namjoon never seemed to have much of a social life, he was always looking after them all, like a big brother, a mentor. He knew Namjoon thought of the pack as family, there was a certain brotherhood that came from leading a group of people. It had to be hard to be the leader, to have so many lives in the palm of your hand. Everyone in this room would die for him, in a heartbeat. He had changed so many lives and given the fallen a chance at life, it was hard not to respect the man that he was.

     "I hate to be cliché or sappy or tell you that everything is going to be okay after tonight, because it's not. People are going to die, Cato would see the werewolves wiped out, it's only a matter of time before he decides to conquer the vampires or the witches, or the humans. We cannot let that happen, tonight we have to stand together to bring this beast down. He will not show mercy or weakness."  He paused to look at all their faces. "On the contrary, he has bred hundreds of hybrids that are highly skilled killing machines that are as relentless as he is. After tonight, everything will be different, but I am standing beside you out there, as one.  We will succeed because there is no other option. We must survive. We must show Cato that we are not feeble, that we will not be sacrificed, that we will not falter, and that we cannot be easily defeated. Tonight Cato is going to realize that we aren't scared of him anymore, we are not going to hide away while he slaughters everyone that doesn't fit his definition of perfection. Tonight we rise up and fight for our right to exist and show him how wrong his ideals are." Namjoon held up his fist. "Protect yourselves at all costs, defend this castle and all its members as you would your own self."

      The room was silent, not an ounce of sound. Namjoon looked at them all and nodded. 

     "Let's go forth and write a new prophecy," Taehyung shouted.

     "Let's go forth and write our own ending," Namjoon yelled out and everyone yelled back. The room was fired up, everyone had a look of pride on their faces, tonight would go down in history, one way or another, no matter the outcome. Tonight was the beginning of a new chapter!

 

     At Cato's hideout, Jungkook awoke in a slight panic, he sat up and looked around. The room was dark except for the beam of sunlight shining on the floor several feet away from the small window that seemed so out of place in this room. It was still daylight, so the fight had not yet begun. He looked down at Seokjin, still asleep. 

     "Seokjin." He shook him.

     Seokjin opened his eyes, in a bit of a daze. He sat up, rubbing his tired eyes. "It wasn't a dream."

     "It's all too real." Jungkook stood and stretched his legs, "I don't know what time it is."

     Seokjin stood and leaned against the wall, looking up at the window. "I'd say about an hour or so left until dusk." 

     "We need to get out of here." Jungkook walked over to the door and listened with his ear against it. He couldn't hear a damned thing, it had to be thick.

     Seokjin straightened out his shorts, feeling something hard in his pocket, he reached in and pulled out Jungkook's necklace. "Oh, your necklace."

     Jungkook looked over, "The pack symbol."

      Seokjin handed it to him, Jungkook looked down at it. "When I gave it to you that night, I told you everyone gets one when they change."

     "I remember." He slipped the necklace on.

     "I lied." Seokjin was reminiscent of that night, it held a very special place in his heart. Jungkook looked at him, perplexed. "I had it made."

     "For me?"

     "For us..." He pulled out an identical one from under the neckline of the hoody, the rope was frayed and the emblem slightly bent. Jungkook assumed he had worn it a few times while transforming.

     "So all the pack members don't have one?"

     "No." Seokjin smiled. "I didn't want you to make a big deal about it."

     "But why?" Jungkook didn't understand.

     "I never saw you as a burden, I know you think that you were just some nuisance that Namjoon pushed on me." Seokjin had a look of nostalgia spread across his features. "I was an asshole to you, but somehow I always felt close to you. That night you changed, I think I knew I was bonded to you, except then, I didn't know about being an Onyx."

     Jungkook just smiled, his eyes glazed over, fingering the emblem.

     "What?" Seokjin asked, making a sour face. What was this look that Jungkook had?

     "So you wanted to get me a birthday gift, but you were confused about your feelings, so you lied and said it was something everyone got when they turned for their first time?"

     "If you want to put it like that." Seokjin cleared his throat, "You're right, we should find a way out of here."

     Jungkook continued to smile as he turned back to the door, shaking it to see if he could jolt it loose. "I'm not gonna let you live that down, you know that right?"

     "I will kill you." Seokjin looked up at the window, it wasn't large enough for either of them to slip through. "Shit, this fucking room is ridiculous, what is the point of that window?"

     "To make its prisoners go crazy."  He sighed as he drew back his fist and punched the door. It door was heavily reinforced, his hand didn't even make a dent. "The door is solid too."

     Seokjin leaned against the wall and slid down it to sit on his bum, drawing his knees up to his chest. "We're stuck."

     Jungkook walked over and sat down against the wall next to Seokjin. "We have to hope Namjoon's plan works. Whatever it is."

     "Are you healed?" Seokjin looked over at him.

     "Yeah, you?"

     "Yeah, I think so." Seokjin clenched and unclenched his fists.

     Jungkook studied the wall by the window, "Do you think we can rip that window out and tear out the wall or something?" Jungkook stood and walked over to it, "Lift me up."

     Seokjin stood and walked over, holding his hands out so Jungkook could step on them and hoist himself up to look out the window. "What do you see?"

     "Ocean." He tried to maneuver his head to peer straight down, but something was obstructing his view. "I think we're way up high."

     Jungkook jumped down and glared at the elder. "This blows." He trudged back over to his place and slinked back down.

     "So we wait." Seokjin joined him, taking out the GPS tracker and looking at it.

     "Seokjin?" 

     "Yeah?" Seokjin answered as he passed the tracker from one hand to the other like it was a toy ball, contemplating if the battery would hold out until they were found. That is, if anyone were coming for them.

      "Tell me again, the story about my necklace." Jungkook kidded.

      Seokjin smirked, shaking his head. "I can take it back."

     Jungkook took Seokjin's face in his palm and pulled him into a kiss. "Shut up, you're holed up in a freaking warehouse, you ain't taking shit back."

     "We should talk strategy." Seokjin changed the subject on purpose. Jungkook leaned back against the wall and sighed in defeat.

 

     Taehyung and Yoongi watched from the rooftop as the sun set into the horizon, the orange turned to red, and the red to black, the stars twinkling between thick blankets of dark clouds. One would never guess that the next few hours would bring an onslaught of death and destruction. Yoongi looked over Taehyung's shoulder as Hoseok peeked his head out of the window and nodded. Taehyung turned to glance at Hoseok and then back to Yoongi.

     "What's going on?" Taehyung asked, knowing something was up.

     "Give me a minute?" Yoongi told Hoseok and he nodded and stuck his head back inside. Yoongi studied Taehyung's face, he wanted to remember how the younger looked at this very moment. "Hoseok and I are going on a little mission."

     "Mission? What mission?" Taehyung was not liking this.

     "A rescue mission." Yoongi took a deep breath. "We're going after Seokjin and Jungkook."

     "What? That's suicide!" Taehyung bellowed. "Why?"

     "With my speed and his magic, we'll be okay." Yoongi assured him.

     "No. That's crazy, why would Namjoon approve of this?" Taehyung yelled.

     "It's going to happen, you're not gonna change my mind." Yoongi maintained, "Just wish me luck."

     Taehyung closed his eyes, this scenario didn't play out well any which way he thought about it. "I swear to the gods, if you die, I am coming into the afterlife and haunting you."

     "I'll look forward to it." Yoongi smirked, "Don't worry so much, concentrate on taking out as many of those fucks as you can."

     Hoseok peeked his head back out of the window, "We gotta go."

     Yoongi nodded.

     Taehyung frowned. _Good luck?_ "I'm supposed to wish you good luck?"

     "Stay safe." Yoongi pulled him in and kissed him, then leaped off the roof and floated down to the ground before Taehyung could mutter another word. Yoongi was not good with goodbyes.

     "Show off." Hoseok whimpered from inside.

     "Don't die, you stubborn bastard," Taehyung whispered to himself as he watched the two of them drive off the property.

 

     Almost an hour had passed and still no sign of Cato and his hybrids. Taehyung was in his spot in the tower, keeping a lookout, scouting the roads and through the trees, he could see for miles up here. The anticipation within the pack was growing, everyone was on pins and needles, becoming antsy. Namjoon figured they might not show up until midnight, when the power of the moon was at its peak. On the plus side, that would be best for the werewolf members of the pack, because they too would be at their apex.

    Down on the ground, Jimin was tying a red bandana around his head, he felt it gave off a warrior vibe, plus it kept his bangs out of his eyes. _A functional warrior dies less._  He laughed out loud thinking back to when his father muttered these words to him when he was ten, his father was always so philosophical about things. He looked up at Taehyung and gave a wave, Taehyung waved back, then refocused his attention back out at the horizon. Jimin knew he'd have to re-prove himself to his family, he was determined that no matter what, he would win back their trust...or at least not be gazed upon like he was the devil incarnate.

    

     Yoongi and Hoseok scaled the walls of the warehouse, pulling themselves up onto the roof. They had managed to go from the back end of the docks to the warehouse mostly without detection, the only resistance were two hybrids that got in their way moments ago and were now stuffed in the dumpster, their new permanent home. Yoongi looked down at his tracker, the green dot was flashing from a room directly below them. Hoseok peered over the side, he noticed a tiny window and nothing else.

     "Small window, we need to find another way in." Hoseok stood back up.

     "It's too quiet, I don't like this." Yoongi jumped down onto a small roof that was about 5 feet below the other one, this one had several vents protruding from the gravel top, possibly a way in. Hoseok floated down and hovered over one of the vents, he held out his hand and the screws that held it closed heated up and popped out. Yoongi removed the grille and looked down into the hole.

     "Why are there no guards?" Hoseok looked down at Yoongi.

     "I guess they didn't count on us finding them." Yoongi was hoping. "I'm sure the hybrids have left already."

     Hoseok watched Yoongi climb down into the hole, a loud thump against the sheet metal sounded as he hit. "Try making a little more noise." Hoseok frowned and looked around, there was nothing, no one heard the noise.

     "Just get your ass down here." Yoongi whisper-yelled.

     Hoseok climbed down in, making considerably more noise than Yoongi had, followed by a huff from where Yoongi elbowed him. They crawled several feet before Yoongi popped out the vent cover at the end of the duct, they jumped down into a small, dark room. It looked to be an old office, as there was a desk, a filing cabinet and an excess of papers strewn about.

     Yoongi headed over to the door and opened it slightly, scanning the hallway. He closed the door and turned to Hoseok, who had tripped over a tipped over office chair on the floor and was straightening himself back up.

     "Chair." Hoseok announced, joining Yoongi.

     "I can tell the hybrid out there to just come in and kill you." Yoongi shook his head.

     "I don't have your night vision, cut me a break." Hoseok glared at the door, "How many?"

     "Just one." Yoongi drew his claws.

     "Wait." Hoseok grabbed his arm. "Let me."

     Yoongi sighed. _Why did I get stuck with this kid?_ He moved out of the way and Hoseok cracked open the door, the hybrid was looking down the opposite end of the hallway, not facing him. Hoseok held up his hand, a beam of light shot from his palm and the man fell down, when he hit the floor, he was already sleeping.

     "You know why we came here right?" Yoongi pushed past him and went over to the hybrid. He took out his gun and aimed it at the hybrid's head.

     "Silencer?" Hoseok was shocked, "Where did you get that?"

     Yoongi didn't bother to answer, he shot a wolfsbane bullet into the man's head and backed up as he began to convulse, letting out a large grunt as he died. Yoongi put the gun back in its holster and took out the tracker. He headed down the hallway to the end where there was a large, out of place, steel-like door set in the wall. He threw down the tracker and turned the handle. Locked.

     "Does that guy have a key?" Yoongi called back and Hoseok bent down to search his body, getting some black ooze on his fingers, he scrunched up his face as if he had just stepped in a big pile of shit. There was no key. 

     "Nothing." Hoseok called back.

     "Can you bust this open with your magic?"

     Hoseok wiped the black ooze on the dead hybrid's jacket and walked over to Yoongi, he felt a weird energy surrounding the door. "This is laced with wolfsbane, what the hell?"

     "How else would you keep an onyx in?" Yoongi backed up. "Just open it."

     Hoseok placed his palms against the door. "Oh, cold." He commented, closing his eyes.

     "You really are a one-man circus." Yoongi leaned against the wall, amused.

      Hoseok's hands heated up, it began to melt through the door. "Just learned this one." He smirked like he didn't realize the severity of the task and the reason they were there. He pushed two hand-sized cutouts through to the other side, he was then able to push the molten door and it fell off its hinges, melting into a big pile on the floor. The moment the door melted, a sphere in the middle of the room started to glow, spin violently and then shatter. SUNLIGHT! A large concentrated burst of ultraviolet light filled the room, Hoseok shielded Yoongi from the majority of it, but the small amount that penetrated the gaps, singed his skin, he yelled out in pain.

      The light died out after ten seconds, fizzling to a small glow and then with a pop, it returned to darkness.

     "Are you okay?" Hoseok looked Yoongi over, aside from some nice burn marks on his face and hands, he was mostly unscathed.

     "I'm fine." Yoongi didn't want to acknowledge this was the second time Hoseok had saved his life. He walked over to the corner and picked up the tracker that Seokjin had had in his pocket earlier that day, and threw it across the room. "Come on, we need to get back to the castle."

     "Not so fast." A young hybrid stepped into the doorway behind Hoseok. Hoseok turned around and instinctively threw up a force field, stopping him from entering. The hybrid pounded it a few times, sparks flying out of it each time he did. He did not look pleased.

     "We can push past him-" Yoongi urged.

      "Sorry, reflex."

     "I smell werewolf blood." The young hybrid scraped his nails along the barrier, taunting them.

     "Jesus Christ, I forgot you were half-werewolf." Yoongi whined.

     "A lot do." Hoseok frowned, "When I was turned into a zombie, I was cursed, I can't change anymore."

     "Taehyung isn't going to have that problem is he?" Yoongi gasped, realizing he could be defenseless back at the castle.

     "No, he's perfectly capable of changing if he needs to." Hoseok looked the hybrid in the eyes. "I got on the wrong side of a voodoo priestess' nerves, her and I didn't see eye to eye."

     "What did you steal?" Yoongi was being rhetorical, Hoseok was offended. "You can't let him drain you."

     "Yeah, I am well aware of that."

     "So stand back." Yoongi grabbed Hoseok's shoulder and pulled him back. The motion caused Hoseok's attention to shift, lifting the force field. The hybrid made haste, bounding into the room and straight at Hoseok, Yoongi blocked and threw a blow that sent the hybrid across the room, landing on the floor with a loud thud.

     "You're not going to win, Father has seen to that." The hybrid wiped the drool from his chin as he stood, an evil little smile besmirched his mouth.

     "Where is Father?" Yoongi's condescending nature was always apparent.

     "On the way to the castle with your star pupils." He growled. "They're going to take out Namjoon first." He laughed.

     "Yeah, good luck with that." Yoongi flashed his newly grown teeth.

     "Vampires are such a weak species." The hybrid circled him, Yoongi followed suit. "It's too bad the witch was here to save your pathetic little life." 

      "You can't get into my head little whelp." Yoongi smirked, "I do applaud the effort though."

     "Father will take out your kind next." The hybrid snarled, his eyes turning black.

     "You're just another arrogant whelp unable to think for himself." 

     "I think you mean tenacious."

     "I think I mean idiot." Yoongi stopped, "You're wasting my time."

     The hybrid leaped forward and tackled Yoongi to the ground, changing into his beast form, as he thrashed about trying to bite Yoongi's neck. Yoongi struggled to keep its teeth away from his tender areas, but the beast was strong, he was scratched several times on his face and just missed getting his eye gouged out. The warm pungent breath of the snarling beast inches from his nose made him grimace, he was ready to be done with this thing. Hoseok managed to fire off a few energy orbs, but the hybrid rolled himself over, so that Yoongi took the brunt of the damage.

      "Sorry." Hoseok gasped and stood back, as they rolled past him, narrowly missing his foot. Yoongi managing to poke the beast's eye and it yelled out, cowering back just enough so that Yoongi could bite into its neck, spurting blood across the room. The beast wailed, Hoseok covered his ears drowning out the ghastly sound. It dug it's razor-sharp claws into Yoongi's side, causing him to ungrip his teeth and roll over on his back, writhing in pain. The hybrid could not maintain its form and turned back into a human, blood streaming from the open wound in his neck. Hoseok bent down to help Yoongi up, he was grasping at his side trying to stifle the pain. They stared down at the dying young hybrid.

     "You're too late, you can't stop him." The hybrid gurgled, laughing out loud, then choked, spitting up blood.

     Hoseok got chills, this hybrid's death was such a waste, this kid couldn't be any older than sixteen. He was brainwashed into this cult mentality by a sinister father, not even given a chance at life. Hoseok bent down and covered the hybrid's face with his hand, said a small incantation and then the sound of the whelp's breathing stopped. "May you find peace in the afterlife."

     Yoongi was both impressed and appalled at Hoseok's behavior, showing mercy and compassion for the enemy, enough to end his misery and wish his soul peace. "I thought you were a heartless witch once upon a time." 

     "I only kill when I'm hungry," Hoseok looked at Yoongi, his doubting expression made Hoseok realize his track record didn't always prove as such.  "I'll admit the solitude of guarding the dagger drove me a bit batty."

     "A bit." Yoongi laughed.

     "He was just a kid."  Hoseok reasoned, staring back down at the dead hybrid.

     "Come on, we don't have much time." Yoongi dashed from the room.

 

     The main area of the warehouse was abandoned, not a soul in sight. Hoseok joined Yoongi, squinting to see in the pitch black, nearly bumping into him.

     "Do you smell that?" Yoongi sniffed the air, turning towards the far corner of the room.

     "Mildew?" Hoseok was baffled, there was a specific mustiness in the air. "Tunnel?"

     Yoongi walked over to stand above a trap door in the cement, he took out his phone and turned on his flashlight, shining it down into the hole, there were some very damaged stairs leading down to an underpass. It smelled of stale sea water and moldy old shoes.

     "After you." Yoongi held up his hand to tell Hoseok to pass, he frowned.

     Hoseok stepped down cautious, guided by the light on Yoongi's phone. "Smells like ass." Hoseok held his nose.

     Yoongi accompanied him into the dank, dark tunnel. Drips of water dampened their heads as they trudged through an inch of water and thick mud that hadn't drain properly through barely visible grates in the floor, the cold dribbles of water running down his face made Hoseok grimace.

     "They must have come down this way," Yoongi noticed many sets of footprints imprinted in the mud, "Holy fuckballs, the old city tunnels lead to the cemetery at the castle, they'll be through the walls without anyone even knowing."

     Yoongi dialed Namjoon's number, but the reception was terrible, his signal balancing between one and zero bars.

     "We need to get to the roof." Hoseok grabbed the phone and ran back up into the main area, across to the stairs and up them, then climbed a ladder to the roof. He dialed Namjoon again. There was no answer. Yoongi attempted to take the phone from him, making him jump, the phone slipped out of his hand and over the side, crashing to the pavement below.

     "Shit." Hoseok inhaled.

    "Are you kidding me?" Yoongi yelled.

     "Come on, the bikes will be faster." Hoseok patted his chest and headed towards the ladder.

 

     When they reached the parking lot by the far side of the docks, the motors in the bikes had been torn out and were laying on the ground in a heap of shimmering parts.

     "No, no no no." Hoseok bent down to pick up a broken crankshaft, he yelled out and heaved it into the ocean. "Son of a bitch."

     "How fast can you move?" Yoongi asked. 

     "Not as fast as you, plus it will use too much of my energy, you should go, I'll catch up." Hoseok urged.

     "Be careful, there still could be hybrids lurking around here," Yoongi warned.

     "I know. Go." Hoseok watched as Yoongi disappeared into the darkness. There was no way he would go down in those tunnels in the dark, he didn't have eyes like Yoongi. He would have to stick to the road, maybe he could hitchhike back to the castle if he could compel some would-be stranger into giving him a lift. It was only about a five to ten-mile trip. He bundled up his jacket and started to walk, cursing mother nature for making it so frigid by the sea.

  

     Back at the castle, Jimin was laying on his back on the grass, staring up at the stars, twinkly light balls in the sky, lost in thought. He felt a rumbling beneath him and sat up, he looked over at several of his pack members leaning up against the wall of the castle behind him.

     "Did you feel that?" Jimin placed his hand on the ground, feeling movement. "It's small tremors."

     "I don't feel nothing, traitor." The pack member sneered at him. 

     Jimin knew what he felt, the ground was vibrating, like an aftershock that followed an earthquake, tiny little shakes in the earth. He had to find Namjoon, he knew this meant something bad. He ran around the grounds, on the lookout for his leader. Five minutes later, he found his Father standing guard near the graveyard fence.

     "Dad, Dad-" Jimin called out and his father turned to look at him, he was standing with two older pack members. His father was still extremely mad at him for betraying the pack and barely paid him any mind. "Where's Namjoon?"

     "He's up in the tower with your brother, don't go bothering him." His father warned him.

     "Do you feel the tremors?" Jimin asked him and the other two members snickered.

     "Son, go stand at your post and stop bothering people with needless distractions."

     "Maybe if we're lucky, you'll serve a purpose and die." One of the pack members derided him.

     "If I didn't have so much respect for your father, I'd kill you myself." The second one chimed in.

     Jimin shook his head, being a traitor as they called him, should not make people be such dicks at a time like this.

 

     He ran off towards the tower, no one seemed to register that the ground was shaking. How could he be the only one feeling it? He tore open the tower door and glomped up the stairs, skipping several at a time. He stopped for a moment when he reached the fifth flight to catch his breath. Namjoon and Taehyung would believe him!

     At the top, Namjoon was looking out at the treeline, "Yoongi and Hoseok haven't reported in yet-"

     Jimin came bursting through the door, out of breath. "N-Namjoon."

     "Woh, breathe." Namjoon grabbed both his shoulders, to calm him down as he looked him in the eyes, Jimin took a few deep breaths. "What's wrong?"

     "I was laying on the ground and I felt tremors, the ground was moving, but no one else seemed to feel it."

     "Were you sleeping?"

     "What? No, I was looking up at the sky and the ground moved below me, small tiny little tremors."

     "Show me," Namjoon demanded and he nodded, heading back toward the stairs.

 

     When they reached the spot where he Jimin had been laying, the trembling was stronger. Namjoon felt the ground and looked up at him.

     "The tunnels." He realized. "THE TUNNELS." He shouted and the pack members near him looked over. "They're coming in through the tunnels."

 

     In the tunnels below, Cato was hovering by the stairs that lead up to the old part of the graveyard. Jungkook and Seokjin, both shackled in wolfsbane handcuffs were standing in front of him, they couldn't change as long as they were bound. He held them captive like they were his pets to do whatever he wanted with. Cato turned to his troops, a look of pride in his eyes, they were standing double file leading all the way down the tunnel. They were hungry for blood, awaiting word to move on and fight. 

     "Go, my children, lay claim to your birthright!" Cato exclaimed and they all yelled out. Two by two they started filing up the stairs, busting out into the graveyard.

     Cato turned to Seokjin. "You should have joined me when you had the chance, I did not want to have to kill you."

     "Bullshit. It was your plan all along." Seokjin muttered, his eyes not leaving Cato's face.

     "I can be stronger with you by my side, but you cannot be trusted." Cato declared. "We could have ruled them all together."

     The noise of Cato's men was making Jungkook's head hurt, his ears were ringing, he just wanted to bust out of these chains and rip out Cato's throat.

     "Draining them all like one big happy family..."

     Jungkook's pulse was quickening.

     "I mean what I say, if you will not rule by my side, then your power will serve me well," Cato announced.

     Seokjin could feel the heat coming off of Jungkook and turned to look at him.

     "What is happening to him?" Cato tried to grab him, but Seokjin stood in front of him, guarding Jungkook.

     "Well if I'm not mistaken, I think he's changing." Seokjin smiled.

     "No, that's impossible," Cato yelled, pushing Seokjin to the ground.

     Jungkook eyes turned from blue to yellow, his teeth began to grow out past his lip, and tiny black hairs began to sprout through his follicles. Cato grabbed Jungkook by the neck and pinned him to the wall but was unable to hold him back as Jungkook's body lurched violently allowing his muscles to expand. Jungkook's snout began to elongate and he growled out, his voice deepening with each passing second. Cato backed up, watching as Jungkook dropped to his knees, his backbone protruding through his shirt. His nails grew into claws that he dragged along the mud, digging down deep, it helped soothe the pain of the change. He arched his back and broke the shackles, throwing them aside as he ripped the shirt from his body, they clanked as they hit the wall. His howl roared out through the tunnels and several of the last hybrids stopped to stare.

     "Father?" The hybrid named Johnny called out.

     Jungkook stood there, his labored breathing echoing off the walls. Johnny stared at him, stupefied.

     Seokjin stood up, ramming his body into Cato, knocking him off balance, allowing Jungkook to bolt towards the stairs and up out of the tunnels. Cato drew back his hand and smacked Seokjin across the face, knocking him to his knees, spitting out blood all over the two hybrids standing there.

     "Do not let him leave your sight." Cato commanded and then took off up the stairs, turning into a full-blown Onyx by the time he reached the top.

     Johnny lifted Seokjin up to his knees, punching him in the gut, while the other hybrid, Keisha, kicked him against the wall.

     "You ain't shit." Johnny roared.

      "Remove the shackles and say that." Seokjin pushed him back.

      "He talks about you like _you're_ the son of Skotadi, but you're nothing." Johnny took out the key and undid his shackles.

      "What are you doing?" Keisha yelled.

      Seokjin stood up, eyes black, staring down the young hybrid. "Show me what you got, kid." 

      Yoongi came dashing up the tunnel, stopping as he reached them. "Glad I didn't miss the festivities."

     Keisha took a swing at Yoongi, but he ducked out of the way, slamming her into the wall, she recovered and chased him down the tunnels. Several moments later she roared out in pain and a loud thud was heard echoing through the tunnel. Seokjin laid into the kid, firing off blows to his face and abdomen and kicks to the head. Johnny fell down, gathering his breath. He ripped off his shirt, starting his change. Seokjin stood there and watched him, his teeth gnashed together, anticipating.

     Yoongi came walking back out of the darkness, dabbing the blood off his forehead from the claw marks freshly etched into his skin, sucking the blood off his fingers. He stopped when he saw the young hybrid change from a human to a rather large minotaur.

      "What the fuck?" Yoongi shrilled.

     Seokjin didn't bother to change, he didn't think he'd need to. Johnny charged at him, connecting with his chest and slamming him into the wall so hard, the wall cracked and crumbled as Seokjin fell to his knees, gasping for air.

     "Yo-Yoongi, go f-find J-Jungkook." Seokjin coughed, spitting up some blood on the ground. "Cato's after h-him."

     "You sure?" Yoongi stepped towards him worried that Seokjin might have bit off more than he can chew, but Seokjin motioned for him to stay back.

     "Go," Seokjin yelled and Yoongi backed up. He nodded and took off up the stairs. Seokjin took in a big gulp of air.

     "Get up." Johnny growled.

     Seokjin didn't want to waste any more time with this thing, not with Cato after Jungkook. He quickly turned into a beautiful black furred beast and spun around to face his enemy. Johnny rushed him again, but this time Seokjin moved aside, grabbed his arm and swung him around, throwing an elbow to the back of his neck, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. He scrambled to stand, but Seokjin was on him too quick, pressing him against the ground on his stomach, he was thrashing about, trying to break free.

     "Hmm, I wonder." Seokjin slammed his claws into the beast's back, he could feel it's energy swirling around inside. The minotaur yelled out, trying to wiggle out of Seokjin's grasp, but once Seokjin started to drain him, his movements became lethargic, then ceased as Seokjin had sucked the last ounce of energy out of him. He stood up renewed, withdrawing his hand, he let out an ear piercing howl.

     Up above ground, the sound of Seokjin's howl resonated, everyone stopping for a moment to look around for the source.

     Seokjin's body chemistry was different, he felt extraordinary, powerful. A set of horns sprouted out of the top of his head, his chest expanded, and he grew several inches in height. It was like he evolved, part of the minotaur was now part of his genetics. He felt a rage so intense, all he saw was a blinding red, his urge to kill elevated. His first priority was finding Jungkook and Cato. His second priority, killing his grandfather.

 

* * *

Part two of the battle is coming up, I didn't want to put it all into one chapter, it's will probably be pretty long. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.!!  <3

     

     

     

     


	34. The End of ALL Evil?

         Taehyung had to be precise with his shots, calculating the wind and the movements of the hybrids below, careful not to hit one of his own pack members. It was more daunting than he realized. He was better off aiming at ones not in contact with anyone, the ones just moving along the grass for their next target. The only problem was they were all fast and he only had seconds to act. He had killed at least ten already, but he felt like he wasn't doing enough.

     Below, Namjoon was fighting off hybrids easily, with his power, they were no match for him, but an unrealistic number of them seemed to be coming after him all at once. He needed to find Jungkook and Seokjin, but every time he managed to break free, another was on him, it seemed like all the hybrids were targeting him.

     Jungkook took out several hybrids at the gate of the cemetery before stopping to attend to a small cut on his forearm, dabbing at the blood and snarling from the pain. He stepped over a body and stopped to look back. Minwoo. Jimin and Taehyung's father didn't even stand a chance - he was overrun the minute the hybrids broke through the small building in the back and spilled out into graveyard.

     Jungkook barely had time to turn around, Cato tore over the landscape and tackled him to the ground, knocking the air out of him. They rolled around, over the roots of the old trees and patches of grass and dirt, slicing at each other with their claws. Jungkook pushed Cato off him and stood to face him down, saliva dripping off his protruding teeth, he was itching to take this bastard out.

     “You’re not going to win, young one.” Cato sneered. Jungkook growled out ferociously, he wasn’t going to cower to mere words.

    Cato and Jungkook both leaped forward and collided with each other midair, Cato caught Jungkook by the throat and slammed him down to the ground so hard he bounced off it. Jungkook transformed back to a human instantly, unable to maintain his beast form with the sudden trauma to his body. He attempted to crawl away, but the coughing slowed him, the pain was excruciating, like all of his sensory nerves were on fire.

     “Oh, best to give up now, the more you fight me, the more painful I am going to make it,” Cato growled. Jungkook kept inching forward, he was not going to give in and just let Cato kill him that easily.

     Cato reached down and grabbed the back of the younger’s hair pulling his head backward, he drew back his clawed hand but just as he was about to swipe, Yoongi came dashing past, connecting his shoulder with Cato and knocking him off balance. Cato dropped Jungkook and turned quickly, enraged, he reached out and nabbed Yoongi as he made his second attempt at him. He held the vampire up by the front of his shirt staring into his eyes.

     “Why would you save this boy? You don’t even like him.” Cato was astounded, staring at Yoongi dangling in midair.

     “Isn’t picking on a whelp beneath you?” Yoongi kicked at him, unable to free himself from Cato's hold.

     “Your species is no match for me, it was foolish of you to even waste your time.” Cato took a bite, clamping down into the crook of Yoongi's neck.  

     “Fuck you,” Yoongi yelled out; a mangled mix of pain and tears. He tried to push Cato away, but his beast form was too strong. His shoulder was throbbing, the pain so intense, he couldn't stand it anymore, he knew he was about to pass out. _Seokjin, help._ His body went limp and Cato removed his teeth from the vampire's flesh, his lips pursing at the taste, vampire blood was sour.

     Seokjin darted up through the opening, stopping as he saw Yoongi's body being thrown down to the dirt, the growl he let out was murderous, deepened by his new-found powers. “CATO!”

     Cato turned to him, admiring his grandson’s new form. "You've figured out how to use my hybrid's power to enhance your own."

     Seokjin watched as Namjoon approached, bending down to attend to Jungkook. "You shouldn't have shown me how to drain."

     "It's quite gratifying, isn't it?" Cato went on, oblivious. "Minotaurs. Genius I know."

     "You talk too much." Seokjin barked, glancing back down at Namjoon as he grabbed Jungkook and Yoongi and removed them from the scene. He refocused his gaze back on Cato.

     "Would you rather I drain you now and be done with it?" Cato answered.

     "I know your stalling until midnight, when my power is at its strongest."

     "I need to take care of your lover first." Cato didn't seem to mind holding in his secrets now. "I wouldn't dare give him the chance to kill me, draining your power would take a considerable amount of time, I will not leave myself exposed."

     "You think Jungkook has the power to kill you?" Seokjin laughed.

     "I know what my wife did, the measures she took to make Jungkook stronger. She thought it was funny." Cato looked up at the full moon, cracking his neck. "I also know the power he needed to kill me died with Jacker. I guess I have to at least thank you for that."

     Seokjin was not amused, he knew that was a huge mistake on his part, how he let his pride get in the way. "You knew I would-"

     "An Onyx's pride never changes." Cato knew he played him well.

     Seokjin also knew Namjoon had a plan, and apparently, Cato hadn't considered there was another who was strong enough to give their power… That's when it dawned on him, the only one left with that sort of power was Namjoon himself. _Namjoon is going to sacrifice himself?_ He looked back towards the castle, alarmed. _No, Namjoon, what are you thinking?_ He couldn't let that happen, without their leader, they would all be lost. Seokjin felt with his new power, he could take Cato down now, here, without anyone else getting hurt...Or at least he would die trying.

 

     Namjoon set Yoongi down on the couch, feeling for a pulse, it was weak, too weak.  Jungkook cried out and he turned to focus his attention on the younger.

     "My-My back." Jungkook flinched as Namjoon placed his hand on his shoulder.

     "You will heal." Namjoon glared into the younger's eyes, "Jungkook what I'm going to ask you to do now is very important, you need to listen to me and don't question it." Namjoon helped Jungkook up to a sitting position, using the couch to prop his back against.

     "What?" Jungkook winced as he moved his butt back a bit, feeling Namjoon's hands gripping both his shoulders now. He looked up at his leader.

     "You're going to take my power-"

     "Take your power? What are you talking about?"

     "Jacker wasn't the only one who had to power you need to defeat Cato-"

     "It will kill you-" Jungkook gasped, he couldn't believe Namjoon was asking this of him.

     "It won't kill me, it'll just make me mortal." Namjoon took a deep breath, "Trust me."

     "If you're mortal, you're as good as dead." Jungkook shook his head, "No."

     "Don't argue with me, Jungkook." Namjoon yelled, "You need to do this now."

     "I will not be the one to kill you, let Seokjin do this, get him-"

     "Jungkook, there was a reason you were picked to take Cato down."

     "What do you mean?"

     "You have to be the one to do this," Namjoon spoke softly. "Seokjin cannot."

     Jungkook felt chills run through his body. "Why can't Seokjin?"

     "Because if he were to drain my power, it would corrupt him."

     "No, I don't believe that, he's stronger than me-"

     "He may be stronger than you, but he is also a red at heart. If Seokjin were to take this power, it would change him. You're a blue, that's why Cato wanted to kill you when he found out. It was written that Seokjin had to be the one to kill Jacker, but you have to be the one to take his power."

     "All these prophecies by stupid people that know nothing." Jungkook pushed Namjoon back and leaned up on his knees. "I write my own fate, you understand?"

     Namjoon nodded. He understood at this very moment, for him to give up his power he was writing his own fate now. "When I tell you to stop, you have to stop."

     Jungkook didn't like this, he knew once he was done that Namjoon wouldn't be able to defend himself. He didn't understand why the stupid Gods were letting this happen, why would they see Namjoon dead? None of it made sense and worst of all, these prophecies - what was stopping someone from spewing out bullshit? How could he believe any of this was supposed to happen this way?

     Namjoon rolled over, propping himself on the couch so that his back was facing the younger. Jungkook held up his hand, his claws growing through his fingertips, he made a fist, drawing his own blood, he needed to get himself mad enough to be able to do this.

     "Do it!" Namjoon yelled and Jungkook closed his eyes, he slowly inserted his hand into the lower part of Namjoon's back, the elder flinched slightly, scrunching up his face, thinking of anything to dull the pain. He didn't want to freak Jungkook out by screaming out, he knew the younger wouldn't continue if he knew how agonizing it was. Jungkook could feel his energy, it felt so strange; powerful, but pure. He felt it enter through the tips of his fingers and flow up his arm, it overcame him, it didn't stop, streaming through him so fast he felt dizzy. He opened his eyes and threw back his head, so much puissance inside of his leader, he almost couldn't handle it. Namjoon's eyes began to roll back in his head, weakening as his energy drained from him.

     It went on for a good five minutes before Namjoon muttered out a weak stop and Jungkook withdrew his hand. Namjoon rolled off the couch and collapsed on the floor, barely able to open his eyes. "Go find Cato, hurry."

Jungkook stood, his blue eyes darkened to a very vivid midnight blue, he looked down at both of his hands, everything felt amplified, he could feel Namjoon's heartbeat and he could hear the screams of his pack members outside, he could smell the blood that soiled the ground. He looked out the window up at the moon, feeling an urgency to find Cato.

     “Hurry Jungkook, I sense Seokjin is in danger.” Namjoon bellowed.

     Jungkook transfigured into a beast, but he wasn't the same as before, his fur was white now, like some majestic animal king. Namjoon looked up at him, he blinked a few times, his eyes unable to focus properly. _White wolf!?_

     Hoseok came to the doorway and stopped short, staring in awe at Jungkook for a moment. He moved aside as Jungkook ran towards him and out of the room. Hoseok hurried over to Namjoon, giving a wave of his hand, the office door slammed shut. He threw up a protective barrier then turned to help Namjoon back onto the couch.

     "Tend to Yoongi-" Namjoon pushed Hoseok to the side towards where Yoongi's body was still sprawled out on the carpet. "I don't know if he made it."

     Hoseok looked down at the pale vampire, his blood had already stained the remnant a dark crimson, his shirt was soaked and was no longer white, and all the visible parts of his skin were covered in clotted blood, it looked horrific. He felt Yoongi's neck, his pulse was faint, but he was alive. He had to stop the bleeding or there was no way Yoongi would last another five minutes. He stood up and grabbed the blanket from the arm of the couch, noticing that outside there was a drooling hybrid with its face plastered to the window staring at him, he yelled out startled. Namjoon looked up.

     "You can't let them in here."

     "Induravitque speculo." Hoseok chanted just as the hybrid drew back his fist, when he connected with the glass, he howled out in pain, the glass was as hard as a rock. Hoseok bent back down to Yoongi, he tore the blanket in half and wrapped Yoongi's shoulder with one of the pieces, tying it tightly, so that he could get the bleeding to slow. He held his hand to the wound, he felt instantly sickened.

     "What's wrong?" Namjoon asked, crawling over to them.

     "He's poisoned. I dunno what this is." Hoseok looked at Namjoon, "I dunno if I can stop the bleeding, I never felt anything like this."

     "Try." Namjoon urged.

 

     Seokjin was being pushed against the wall of the mausoleum, Cato's claws dug into his forearms, his teeth dangerously close to Seokjin's neck. Seokjin tried with all his might to push Cato off him, but it was too late, he sunk his teeth into Seokjin's neck, the blood spurt a good fifteen feet, painting a tombstone a nice shade of red. Seokjin dropped quick, turning into his human form, his body twitching as he grabbed his neck and squeezed. Cato bent down and removed Seokjin's hand and bit down again, Seokjin screamed out, using every ounce of energy he had left he punched Cato's chest, but his blows were ignored as Cato sucked the blood from him and his energy began to wane.

     Everything went dark, Seokjin was slipping away, every memory flashing through his mind. _No, I can't leave Jungkook. Fight Seokjin. Fight!_   Seokjin somehow managed to bring his leg up and kick Cato off of him. He turned over onto his stomach, blood flowing from his open wound and pooling below him. He pushed up on his knees, swaying sideways and catching himself with his hands as he hit the ground again. He stumbled up like a drunk man, unable to steady himself. He leaned his back against the mausoleum wall for support, watching Cato as he approached, a harrowing look in his grandfather's eyes. Seokjin wouldn't survive another bite, he couldn't let Cato get him.

     "Cato." Jungkook growled and both Cato and Seokjin looked off to the side, Jungkook was standing there, his breaths making his chest heave up and down. Cato stopped moving when he saw Jungkook's white fur, he knew what this meant.

     "But how?" Cato looked over at Seokjin fall to his knees.

     "You better run." Seokjin laughed, coughing up blood. Seokjin looked over at Jungkook, admiring the beautiful creature that stood before him, smiling slightly before he passed out, landing on his face in a puff of dirt. Cato turned quick and ran off towards the castle, Jungkook followed, chasing him through the grassy field.

     Cato burst through the front door, stumbling, he turned to shut it but Jungkook was too close, he grabbed Cato's leg and pulled him down, dragging him along the marble floor, he swung him around and flung him into the rail of the staircase, he flew through and landed on the floor below it.

     Hoseok looked towards the door, the sound of splintering wood rung out, it sounded like something was tearing the house apart. He turned to Namjoon. "If I can make it to the lab, I can help him."

     "Then go." Namjoon nodded.

     "I can't leave you here, I can't maintain the barrier if I'm not in the room."

     "We'll both go, grab Yoongi."

     Hoseok bent down and picked Yoongi up in his arms, he turned to Namjoon as he wobbled to stand and they both turned to the door, Namjoon opened it as the barrier deteriorated. They headed down the hallway and came to the foyer, where Jungkook was standing over Cato, reaching down to pick him up again. They made their way past the two, ducking as Jungkook once again flung the elder into the wall across from them. They hurried their pace and ran towards the lower level stairs, having to stop once as a hybrid ran past them and chased a pack member into the library.

     The lab was a mess, but no one was there. Hoseok sealed the door and laid Yoongi down on the table. He turned to go to the cabinet, searching through several bottles of liquids. He stopped to think for a moment and then remembered that his balms were in the bottom drawer. He opened it and grabbed a canister and ran over to Yoongi. He unscrewed the top and took some on to his fingers, spreading it over both of his palms, he then rubbed his palms together to create heat. He looked up at Namjoon.

     "Hold him." Hoseok directed, "His shoulders."

     Namjoon took ahold of Yoongi as best he could. Hoseok placed both his palms over the wound, hovering just above it, he closed his eyes and mumbled a few words to himself and then pressed his hands down on the wound, Yoongi's body jolted and shook for a moment, then stopped. Hoseok carefully wiped the balm on the wound and then the excess off on his pants, closing the canister. He looked down at the damage, the edges of his mangled skin bubbled up into a green goo.

     "The rest is up to him." Hoseok looked at Namjoon as the leader pulled his hands away from Yoongi and looked back at him. "Are you in pain?"

     Namjoon shook his head. "I'll heal."

 

     Taehyung's crossbow machine jammed, he took apart the cover and pulled out a broken bolt, closing it back up just as a hybrid busted through the door, he turned around as a giant black body knocked him to the ground. Down below on the grass, Jimin saw his brother fall and two more hybrids heading towards the stairs to the tower, he took off towards them, one of his pack members picked off the last hybrid as Jimin reached for the first one - slicing him across the neck and ducking as it tried to hit back. He pounced on it, ripping it to shreds.

     He stood back, staring down at it for a moment before he turned to make his way up the stairs. Taehyung was trying to fight off the hybrid, but he hadn't been able to change in time. Jimin grabbed it and turned it around, backing up as it swung its claws at him. He growled out as the hybrid swiped at him, ducking each attempt, he kicked the hybrid back and turned to help Taehyung up.

     "Watch out." Taehyung pulled Jimin back and the hybrid skidded past them and hit the wall. Jimin roundhouse kicked it and it toppled off the side, grasping at the side of the wall, Jimin looked over, not realizing it hadn't fallen to the earth below. The hybrid grabbed Jimin's arm, just as it lost its grip on the wall, Jimin stumbled, losing his balance, he toppled over the side with the hybrid still attached.

     "Jimin!" Taehyung screamed out, running over. He watched as the hybrid pulled Jimin down to the ground below, hitting it so hard, Taehyung knew his brother was dead. He tore down the stairs, nearly ripping the door off the hinges as he reached the bottom. _Oh god, no. Jimin!_ He took Jimin's body into his arms, cradling him. There was blood was everywhere.

     "Jimin, don’t you die on me." He screamed out. His pants already stained with Jimin's blood, he picked him up and carried him into the castle, straight down to the lab. He tapped at the barrier and Hoseok and Namjoon looked towards the door.

     "Oh my god." Hoseok waved the barrier away and Taehyung hurried in, laying Jimin down on the cot, he turned and grabbed Hoseok's collar, pulling him closer.

     "You have to save him, like you did with me." Taehyung cried, "Please."

     Hoseok looked down at Jimin, he knew it was too late, Jimin's soul had already left, "Tae-"

     "Please Hoseok, just save him." The tears rolled down Taehyung's face and he shook Hoseok, begging. "Please!"

     "I can't, it's too late." Hoseok grabbed Taehyung and pulled him into his embrace, Taehyung shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm sorry."

     Namjoon bent down to Jimin, he closed the boy's eyes and sat down on the cot next to him, his head in his hands. He hoped that the power he had given Jungkook was enough, that the younger could kill Cato. He knew his pack would perish if Jungkook could not take out the diabolical demigod. He had witnessed too much death already..and now he was powerless to do anything about it.

 

     Jungkook was surrounded by five hybrids, they took turns rushing him and he fought off their attempts to take him down. Cato scrambled to his feet, taking advantage of his children's distraction, he backed away slow, he knew he needed to head back to Seokjin and take his power now. He turned and bolted from the room. Jungkook ripped apart the first hybrid, throwing his carcass to the ground, he attempted to run after Cato, but the hybrid's closed in around him.

     Seokjin opened his eyes. "Jungkook." He muttered, he knew Jungkook was in trouble, he had to get to the castle now. He stood up and hobbled towards the gate, hurrying his pace, weaving in and out of his pack members fighting off hybrids, and stepping over bodies as he went.

     Cato watched as Seokjin headed into the castle and turned to run back in after his grandson, being hit with a spear in his leg, he fell, yelling as he pulled it out. Cato turned to bite the neck of the pack member that threw it, dropping him quick.

     When Seokjin walked in and saw Jungkook being attacked by four hybrids, he changed instantly and rushed forward, pulling two of them off and dragging them backward by the scruffs of their neck. Jungkook quickly handled the two that were messing with him and turned to Seokjin as he ripped out the hybrid's throat with his mouth and spit out the skin onto the floor. They both turned around as the last hybrid ran from the castle, Seokjin took off after him, but as soon as exited the building, Cato thwacked him across the throat, he grabbed him as he fell back and began dragging him across the yard towards the graveyard.

     Cato pushed Seokjin down the stone stairs back into the tunnels, he landed hard on the muddy ground and grunted, still weakened from the bite on his neck, he changed back to a human. Cato was about to step inside, but Jungkook pounced on his back, biting down in the nape of his neck. Cato flung about, trying to shake him off, before throwing himself towards the wall, slamming Jungkook against it, the younger slipped off and stood to face Cato.

     Down in the tunnels, Seokjin tried to stand, but everything was spinning, he was so dizzy he kept tumbling over. Keisha, the female hybrid from earlier, was sitting against the wall, dying, her ominous laughed filled the room as she watched her nephew struggle to stand. Blood was dripping down the front of her shirt, covering the small area around her. She smiled, watching him as she pulled out a lighter.

     "It's no use fighting Seokjin." She coughed and lit the lighter. "The whole place is doused in gasoline."

     Seokjin looked over at her, her hand fell to the side as she died, the flame catching her and the ground around her on fire, engulfing her and leading back down the tunnel from where they had all came. Seokjin was surrounded by the heat as the fire burned all around him, he coughed as he started for the stairs, but the heat was too intense, the flames became too high, blocking his way. He covered his mouth, coughing as the smoke encircled him, the orange and yellow dancing all around.

     Cato uppercut Jungkook and he fell on his ass, hard. Cato swung around, the flames were pouring out of the building. He covered his face and backed up, right into Jungkook's clawed hand. He jammed it into Cato's back and it shot out the front, Jungkook held the demigod’s beating heart in his palm. Cato looked down at the hole in his chest as Jungkook withdrew his hand. The thumping died down.

     “What have you done?” Cato choked out as he slowly turned around, watching as Jungkook threw his heart down on the ground at his feet, then looked up at the younger as he kicked him back into the flames, Cato fell in slow motion to the ground, sinking into the mud. Seokjin looked down at his grandfather, then back up at the door, Jungkook could see Seokjin staring up at him, as the flames grew, he was about to jump into the fire to save the elder, but Namjoon pulled him back, struggling to hold him, Hoseok and Taehyung each grabbed an arm and pulled him away, he turned back to a human, screaming out-

     "SEOKJIN!!" He struggled to break free, but they held him tight, dragging him back away from the building as it went up in flames. "Let me go..."

     "You go in there and you'll die too." Namjoon stood in front of him.

     "LET ME GO!" Jungkook screamed. The reflection of the fire gleaming in his eyes. Hoseok attempted several times to throw an ice spell at it, but it just fueled the fire even more, shooting out sparks with each try.

     "It's got a spell on it," Hoseok yelled to Namjoon.

     An explosion rocked out, causing the windows of the small house to burst, as a shockwave sent them all backward.

     Jungkook tried once more to make his way towards the fire, but Taehyung grabbed his arm, Jungkook turned to him, flailing about, trying to pry loose, but Taehyung held firm.

     "He's gone." Taehyung shook his head. "He's gone."

     Jungkook looked back at the fire. There was no way Seokjin survived that. _No, he can't be dead, Seokjin can't be dead, I'd know. I'd feel it._ He fell to his knees. "No, he can't be..."

     "I'm sorry." Taehyung looked down at the ground, wiping tears from his own eyes.

     "SEOKJIN!" Jungkook yelled, "SEOKJIN!"  _Please._

     There was no answer. Nothing but the sound of flames burning the building down.

     "Seokjin... please." Jungkook wailed out, the tears wouldn't stop, every ounce of him wanting to go die with the elder, he didn't want to live without Seokjin. How was he supposed to live without him? He leaned back and fell on his ass to the ground, running his hands through his hair, wanting to rip it all out, staring up at the stars in the sky through a blurry wetness. _Seokjin...._

 

     Jungkook wouldn't leave the graveyard, he sat there in the same spot and watched as the house burned and eventually turned to ashes, smoldering in the morning light. He was empty, beyond numb. Taehyung sat at his side, knowing exactly what Jungkook was feeling, he lost both his brother and his father in one night.

     Namjoon and Hoseok had gone back up to the castle, surveying the damage and looking for survivors. Only a few pack members had survived and they were in bad shape, Hoseok was tending to them as best he could, but his energy was low, using so much magic in one day took its toll on him.

     "You should rest," Namjoon told Hoseok, helping one of his pack members up, wrapping his arm around him and heading into the castle.

     Yoongi strolled out, shielding his eyes from the bright morning light, he looked out towards the field, Taehyung and Jungkook were walking back towards the castle. Taehyung stopped when he saw Yoongi standing there, he ran towards him, not slowing down until he threw his arms around him, pulling him so tight Yoongi felt his eyes were going to pop out of his head. Jungkook stopped, seeing Taehyung in Yoongi's arms reminded him how he would never be able to hold Seokjin like that again.

     Namjoon stepped back outside, staring at Jungkook, who hadn't moved from his spot. Yoongi looked over at Jungkook standing there...alone, his stomach dropped.

      "Where's Seokjin?" He asked, looking at Taehyung. A chill ran up his spine.

     "He's... " Taehyung teared up. “Gone.”

     Yoongi shook his head. "N-no.." He stuttered, looking back at Jungkook. "How?"

     "Fire." Taehyung slunk down on the front steps. Yoongi felt like someone knocked the breath out of him, Jungkook stared back at Yoongi as he walked over to him. They didn't have to speak, they both knew what the other was feeling, for the first time in a very long while, Jungkook didn't hate the elder.

     Jungkook held out his hand and Yoongi looked down at it. "Jungkook, I-"

     "He wouldn't want me to hate you." Jungkook choked out the words, everything hitting him at once, he burst out into tears and Yoongi pulled him into an embrace, closing his own eyes as a stream of tears rolled down his own cheeks.

 

     Taehyung looked up at the sky, wiping his eyes. Several dark clouds were swarming above, the wind picked up suddenly, swooshing around like a hurricane was dropped down upon them like a bomb. A single lightning bolt struck the ground, making them all cover their faces and backup. When they looked back, two figures were standing there. The wind died back down as the two figures approached Namjoon, coming into the small amount of light that beamed down from the hole in the clouds directly above them. Namjoon bowed to them. There, standing before him, were his parents, Dagma - Goddess of demons and Lupius - God of werewolves.

     "Namjoon." Dagma bowed to him, a funny little smirk on her lips.

     Namjoon had never seen his father in human form, he looked almost identical to him, same lips, same nose, and same height. "Father." He was surprised, the gods must have been very upset if they came down here themselves in human form.

     "You have defied the council's wishes," Lupius spoke, his voice stern.

     Namjoon nodded, "And I have paid the price."

     "Without your powers, you cannot protect this pack anymore." Dagma frowned.

     "Not much of a pack left." Lupius looked out at the bodies littering the yard.

     "A lot of sacrifices have been made today." Dagma nodded. She looked at Taehyung. "Your brother wasn't supposed to die."

     Taehyung's face was wrought with hurt, thinking about how Jimin had saved him. "..But he did."

     "I cannot give him back his human form." Dagma fretted, "But, because of his sacrifice, the council has agreed to let him stay here as an incorporeal entity."

     "A ghost?" Taehyung was hopeful.

     "A ghost." She smiled and held her hand up. Jimin's discorporated body floated up through the ground, hovering there for a few moments. When she waved her hand, he opened his eyes and came back to life. He looked around dazed, his eyes stopped on Taehyung.

     "Jimin!" Taehyung took in a deep breath, watching as his brother stood, looking down at his see-thru body.

     "What happened?" Jimin held up his hands, he could see right through them, he seemed to be made up of a foggy mist, he moved his arm side to side, it was like a translucent gas in slow motion, he was mesmerized. "What am I?"

     "Holy shit." Taehyung smiled, happy tears welled up in his eyes. "You're alive."

     "Not really." Dagma corrected him.

     "Thank you." Taehyung bowed. He held up his hand to Jimin's, it felt cold and wet- like when you run your hand over a smooth surface after the rain and all the rain clings to your hand. It was not quite human, but not nothing either.

     Dagma nodded then turned back to Namjoon. "You gave your powers to save your pack, against the council's wishes you changed the outcome of events. Not many would give up immortality to save another life."

     "A band of misfits more like." Lupius sneered.

     "This band of misfits has been more of a family to me than you ever have." Namjoon was sure he would be banished for speaking to a God this way, but he didn't care, the truth was the truth. Everyone looked at him wide-eyed, expecting the wrath of his father to swoop in and take their leader away.

     "Nonetheless, you have a choice." Dagma took Namjoon's hands. "You can live in the realm of the gods as an immortal, all your powers intact, …or you can live down here on earth as a witch, with enough powers to defend yourself and your pack if need be, but you live out your life on witch years."

     "I stand with my pack." Namjoon proclaimed without hesitation, he stood proud.

     "So be it, as much of a fool as all your children, Dagma." Lupius waved his hand and Namjoon took a deep breath as if a great power took him over.

     "What about Seokjin?" Jungkook stepped forward, "He sacrificed himself-"

     "Seokjin's fate cannot be changed, I am sorry." Dagma nodded to him and in an instant, she and Lupius disappeared and the sky cleared, the sun shining back down as brightly as before they came. Jungkook looked down, feeling as though he lost Seokjin all over again.

     "What happened to Seokjin?" Jimin asked Taehyung.

     "He didn't make it-"

     "He’s fucking dead...gone." Saying the words out loud haunted him, Jungkook couldn't take it, he took off running full speed, through the mansion gates, he didn't stop until he reached the road.

     "I didn't see him on the other side." Jimin shuddered, "Scary place."

     "What do you mean you didn't see him?" Yoongi walked over.

     Jungkook's agonized scream was heard off in the distance.

     "I didn't see him, he wasn't there." Jimin looked towards the gate, his heart hurt for Jungkook.

    "Is it possible you just didn't run into him?" Yoongi surmised.

     "You see everyone, everything over there is in fast motion, I saw everyone that I ever knew-"

     "Then you forgot?" Yoongi argued.

     "No, he wasn't there, I promise," Jimin assured him.

     Yoongi looked at Taehyung, a glint of hope twinkled in his eyes. _Could it be?_   "The tunnels, they lead back to the warehouse, maybe he made it back there?"

     "Grab the bike, pick up Jungkook, I'll meet you there in the car," Taehyung told him, running into the house. Yoongi ran over and jumped on the bike, starting it up. He peeled out, gunning it to the gates and skidded to a stop next to Jungkook.

     "Get on." Yoongi threw him the helmet.

     "What?" Jungkook caught the helmet. "Why?"

     "Seokjin's alive."

     Jungkook looked at him in shock, his breath stuttered. "Don't fucking joke like that-"

     "You think I'd joke about that? Get on the fucking bike before I change my mind and go without you." Yoongi yelled. Jungkook jumped on the back, throwing the helmet on to the grass and grabbing on to Yoongi's waist.

 

      They arrived at the warehouse a short time later, Yoongi pulled inside and stopped by the trapdoor, he turned off the bike and got off. He heard Taehyung pull up in the car and screech to a halt, then a few seconds later a slamming of the door. He ran in to join them, handing them both a flashlight.

     "If he's hurt, he might not have made it far." Taehyung prepared Jungkook for what they might find.

     Jungkook's heart was beating so fast, he wasn't sure if he could walk, but he trudged down the stairs determined, followed by Yoongi and Taehyung. They walked a good fifteen minutes before Taehyung spotted something up ahead.

     "There." He shined the light on a dark lump and they ran over. It was a dead hybrid, badly burned.

     "Oh my God." Jungkook leaned against the wall.

     "It's just a dead hybrid, it's okay." Taehyung tried to be comforting, but Jungkook's panic face worried him.

     "If we came all the way down here and he's dead, I can't handle that Tae."

     Yoongi grabbed him by the shoulders, "Feel him Jungkook, he's connected to you. Where is he?"

     Jungkook closed his eyes, since absorbing Namjoon's powers, he felt a bit weird, disconnected. "I can't feel anything-"

     Yoongi was disappointed, but he trudged on, not giving up hope. It was another ten minutes before they stopped again, this time when they bent down, there was a fresh half-eaten corpse sunken down in the mud. Yoongi ran his finger over the slime that was covering the bite marks.

     "What the hell is this?" Taehyung felt sick to his stomach.

     "I don't know." Yoongi's worried face shot up and down the tunnels, "But, we're not alone."

     Jungkook felt a pang shoot through his stomach, "Seokjin-"

     Up ahead, laying on the ground was Seokjin sprawled out, burn marks covering most of his naked body. A faint roar sounded from down the tunnel and they all stopped moving to stare at each other.

     "Get him." Yoongi shined the light down the tunnel past Seokjin's body. "Now."

     Taehyung bent down to Seokjin, feeling his pulse. "He's alive." He glanced down at a large bite mark on his leg. “Holy hell.”

     Jungkook hoisted Seokjin up over his shoulder. The tunnel shook, as if there was something immense taking steps... one by one, getting closer... Yoongi started backing up.

     "Let's go." Yoongi's voice was shaky.

     They all hurried back the way they came, making their way up the broken stairs and into the warehouse. Taehyung ran outside and got a blanket from the car as Jungkook approached, wrapping Seokjin in it, Jungkook carefully laid him down in the backseat. Yoongi started the bike inside and joined them seconds later.

     "I'm going with him." Jungkook let Yoongi know.

     "I figured." He nodded and looked at Taehyung.

     "What's down there?" Taehyung asked him, he had never seen Yoongi worried before.

     "I dunno, but it's big." Yoongi stared over at Seokjin in the car. "Get him home."

     Taehyung nodded, shutting the car door, he and Jungkook got in. Yoongi looked back towards the warehouse as Taehyung gunned it up the road, squealing tires. _What the fuck is going on?_

 

* * *

 

**As always - thank you so much for reading and all the comments!! and the kudos!!!! <333**

     

     

     

     


	35. Rebuilding

     The fourth day after the battle was by far, the worst. This day was dubbed 'clean-up day', AKA, the day they needed to rid the grounds of the decaying dead. The best way to dispose of a corpse was fire, destroy all evidence of a battle and neutralize any and all disease. Several organizations had made visits to the castle in the last few days, postponing hopes of cleanup in any sort of timely manner. There were many supernatural beings in government, they had their own divisions and ranks and each species had their own tailored cleanup crew to assist in times of need (war, disaster, or small fights that resulted in death here and there to name a few.) Though, no one ever came knocking or asked questions, the affairs of the supernatural were all neatly covered up, so long as they took care of the aftermath.

     The **C** rossbreed **R** esearch **O** rganization for **S** upernatural **S** pecies better known as C.R.O.S.S. had paid a visit on the second day following the battle, to collect samples of DNA from the various hybrids that lay scattered. They took over eight hours to collect and catergorize, since it wasn't every day that an evil madman made armies of diversified hybrids, they were in their element. Taehyung and Hoseok commented that they seemed far too excited seeing as it was basically an uncovered graveyard and their pack members were among the dead. It was disrespectful, to say the least.

      Cleaning up was a sickening job and the stench was atrocious, especially so long after a battle, but it had to be done and there was no sense in complaining about it. At least the face masks managed to keep some of the smell at bay.

     They all carried bodies over and set them down by the bonfire at the far end of the castle's grounds, it took them most of the morning and part of the afternoon already and they were only around halfway done. It was a sad sight, their fallen pack members should be buried, but there were just too many bodies. The fields had already become a haven for flies and maggots. Yoongi and Taehyung were in charge of the actual throwing of bodies into the fire, the gloves manage to protect their hands, but the both of them could still feel the stiff coldness through the material. It was unsettling, they couldn't wait to be done so that the could take a long, hot shower and wash the stench of the day's work off.

    Taehyung walked over and set down a wheelbarrow carrying two battered remains, he helped Yoongi pick the first up and throw it into the bonfire. "So how bad is it?"

    "I swear to god, if he pops in the shower one more time and yells 'boo', I'm going to throttle his ass," Yoongi complained, taking the legs of the second body while Taehyung took the arms and they heaved it into the fire.

     Taehyung couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Jimin had been using his 'ghost' status to his benefit, finding ways to annoy them all. Taehyung figured since he never met a ghost that wasn't pesky, that it was written in some manual somewhere. ' _How to be a Ghost: Chapter 1 - Ways to Annoy Those Around You._ '

     "Imagine being dead and coming back and the only fun you have is scaring people? He can't even eat real food." Taehyung frowned, shooing away a fly that landed on his nose. "I thought being a zombie was bad."

     Yoongi grimaced, blood aside, he enjoyed human food, so he couldn't imagine suddenly not being able to indulge in it. "I understand, but three times in two days?"

     Taehyung smirked. "I'll talk to him." He grabbed the wheelbarrow and wheeled it a few feet to put some more bodies on. Jungkook walked over, holding a bag up.

     "Body parts." Jungkook made a disgusted face as he tossed it into the fire.

     "Great." Taehyung sighed. "How's Seokjin?"

     "About the same." Jungkook looked down, "At least he's alive."

     Taehyung looked back up at the house, Namjoon was bending down to one of the fallen pack members, collecting jewelry to give to their family. "This pack is dwindling."

     "There are four hybrids in the lab now," Jungkook commented, helping Taehyung lift a body. "What do you think Namjoon is going to do with them?"

     "If he's smart he will put them to death," Yoongi muttered. 

 

     Down in the lab, Hoseok was pulling out his hair, between the four hybrids, the very vocal pack members, and Seokjin - he was overrun. Makeshift cots were set up along the far wall and the moans of the conscious ones laying upon them were driving him batty. He had already patched up at least ten people today, including having to stitch one rather nasty bite before lunch that made him queasy. Seokjin was the worst, he really wanted to study the bite mark on his leg, but with dealing with everyone else, he barely had two minutes to devote to him. The good thing is most of the burn marks were healed and his hair had grown back.

     Jungkook walked in and over to Seokjin, "I see you on this damn table way too much Seokjin, hurry up and heal." Jungkook pushed the elder's bangs from his eyes.

     "Jungkook," Hoseok called from across the room.

     "Huh?" Jungkook replied, only half paying attention.

     "Can you tend to these hybrids, I want to examine the bite mark on his leg before it heals."

     "Can't we just send them back to their warehouse?" Jungkook whined.

     "They're practically children, give me a break."

     "Aren't they like Seokjin's aunt and uncles?" Jungkook walked over and sat down next to the female hybrid.

     "Yeah, I guess." Hoseok grabbed the overhead magnifying glass and positioned it above the bite mark. "Technically, not that he would acknowledge it."

     "You think they could be reprogrammed to be on our side?"

     "They aren't machines." Hoseok turned on the light. "I need Taehyung, he's good at this shit."

     "I thought you were like a doctor or something?" Jungkook lifted the hybrid's arm and let it fall back down again.

     "Only two years of medical school sometime in the 1970's" Hoseok smirked, "Good times."

     "So why did you stop?"

     "It was the 70s" He smiled, "It was a different time back then."

     "I never thought I'd feel bad for being young." Jungkook frowned. "So what do you think bit him?"

     Hoseok peeled back the skin in the deepest part of the bite. "Something big, going by the size of this bite, I'd say if my measurements are correct, the jaws alone are at least three feet. I suspect it tried to drag him by the way the teeth pulled the skin by his ankle."

     Jungkook shuddered. "Three feet wide?"

     "Well give or take. It bit down in his calf and ankle. The gash marks are pretty deep, most likely it grabbed Seokjin as he was on the move."

     "How did he survive? The one hybrid we found was bitten in half."

     "We can ask him when he wakes up." Hoseok sighed, "More balm I think."

     Jungkook stood and grabbed the balm from the counter, throwing it to him.

 

     Three days later, the lab was mostly cleared, except for a comatose hybrid and...Seokjin. The elder was healed physically, even the bite mark was mended, albeit with a nice scar left behind. Namjoon was worried, medically speaking, Hoseok said he should have been awake by now, there was no good reason for him to still be unconscious. Namjoon wondered if all the draining was playing a part in this, it had altered his DNA to the point where he had sprung horns and had grown in stature. Seokjin had consumed a lot of energy, something like that didn't come without consequences. Also, Dagma had said to Jungkook, _"Seokjin's fate cannot be changed."_ She knew he was alive at that point, but she didn't alert them to this fact. Her words were ominous, he needed to know what she meant, but with his recent actions, he knew the council was angry with him and he shouldn't push it at the moment. Namjoon sighed.

     "What are your plans for the hybrids that lived?' Hoseok interrupted Namjoon's thoughts as he stared down at Seokjin.

     Namjoon shrugged. He wasn't a hundred percent sure himself. "A choice." He concluded.

     "A choice?" Hoseok was perplexed, knowing what Namjoon was getting at, but why on earth would Namjoon trust them, when a week ago, they were murdering members of the pack.

     "Life is about choices, whether the right or wrong one, the outcome depends on which choice is made." Namjoon was on the verge of a philosophical lecture.

     "So death or join the people they hated in the first place? Seems logical." Hoseok was channeling Yoongi, his sarcasm level was on point.

     "Brainwashing is a powerful drug." Namjoon nodded, more to himself than to justify it to Hoseok. "I would hope once they realize the error of such thinking, they will come around."

     "You could trust them after this?" Hoseok asked.

     "I let Jimin come back to the castle, I presume his crime was much worse than what these kids have done."

     "Jimin has proven himself, with his own life." Hoseok reminded him, "Will these kids do the same?"

     "That's where choice comes in." Namjoon smirked. "Let me know when he wakes up."

     "Of course." Hoseok watched Namjoon walk from the room.  He bent down to attempt to look into Seokjin's eyes, when Seokjin grabbed his wrist, rather hard. He winced as he looked down.

     "You're hurting me." Hoseok tried to pry his wrist loose, but Seokjin held on tight. "S-Seokjin, let go."

     "I need energy." Seokjin's voice was raspy, he didn't sound like his normal self.

     "You can't drain me, I would kill you." Hoseok answered, without thinking.

     Seokjin let go and sat up, weary. "I don't want you." He rubbed his temple. "One of the hybrids?"

     "Are you out of your mind?"

     Seokjin bolted up and grabbed Hoseok's shoulders, he was taken aback at the sudden movement, the expression on Seokjin's face scared him.

     "Just one." Seokjin pleaded.

     Hoseok gulped, he was too frightened to say no. He looked over to the cot by the wall, this hybrid hadn't seen much improvement. At this point, it was just using valuable resources, plus it was most likely suffering and not of much use to anyone. Seokjin looked too, he licked his lips.

     "He doesn't look like he would make it anyway." Seokjin moved Hoseok aside and walked over and kneeled next to the cot.

     "This isn't healthy Seokjin-" Hoseok stopped when he saw Seokjin's clawed hand inserted into the hybrid's flesh. The hybrid's eyes opened suddenly and then closed just as fast.

     Seokjin's breathing was heavy, his pleasure senses in overdrive. "Shadow Spectre." He grinned, taking his hand away.

     "What?' Hoseok was sure he heard wrong, Shadow Spectres were a myth.

     "Cato was an evil genius," Seokjin said under his breath as he stood and turned to face Hoseok. "We should keep this between us."

     Seokjin's tone sounded more like a threat than a suggestion and all Hoseok could do was nod. "We should, uh..let Namjoon know you're okay."

     "I'll go see him now." Seokjin patted Hoseok on the back. "Where might I find him?"

     "His o-office probably." Hoseok was very disturbed, he wasn't quite sure why, but when Seokjin placed his hand on his back, he felt a very short burst of evil energy flow through him.

     Seokjin stared at him a second longer than Hoseok was comfortable with before heading out of the room. _I need to go back to being a thief._

 

     The library was still in shambles, about 70% of the books were on the floor in large piles of disarray, nobody had bothered with the room since there were matters that needed tending to more. Hoseok wasn't sure where to even look for the book he needed. Taehyung peered out from behind a bookshelf.

     "Shadow Spectre, you're sure?" Taehyung questioned throwing some books aside.

     "That's what he said," Hoseok called back.

     "Shadow Spectres are what bad parents threaten when their kids are misbehaving, they're folklore." Taehyung doubted Seokjin's assessment. "He did just wake from a coma though, he could be-"

     "I don't think so." Hoseok knew what Taehyung was about to say. "Something _is_ different about him, though."

     "Can't you just poof these all back to their place, it would make this so much easier."

     "This isn't Harry Potter, Taehyung, I can't just poof things back to their place." Hoseok threw aside a few books.

     "Why does this exist?" Taehyung held up 'Silly Hexes to Play on Friends.' He thumbed through it, "Never mind, I think this is the ghost manual everyone says doesn't exist."

     Hoseok laughed, pushing aside some books. "Ah, I found it." He pulled out a book on myths and went over to the table and set it down, opening it as he sat, Taehyung walked over to stand behind him. Hoseok read down the table of contents, "Page 523." He turned to the page.

     "Eeep, those are horrifying." Taehyung's face was contorted somewhere between a grimace and repulsion as he stared at the artist's rendition of what one might resemble.

     Hoseok skimmed the page. "Sends it's victims into a black void...sucks the soul from them...very dangerous..." He turned the page. "All myths stem from truth and whether or not these entities are real is still a mystery, as anyone who could have actually encountered one would be dead and gone, unable to speak of it."

     "So then how would Cato have created a hybrid with one?"

     "Therein lies the mystery." Hoseok threw the book down. "It makes me wonder if what is in those tunnels is part of his genetic hall of horrors."

     "You should tell Namjoon." Taehyung urged.

     "No, not yet." Hoseok looked up at him. "I want to figure out what's going on with Seokjin first."

     "Ever used hypnotism?" Taehyung smiled a wicked little grin. 

     Hoseok considered it, his five years in the jungle with a voodoo priestess might come in handy after all.

 

     Jungkook was setting up the fallen tombstones in the graveyard, there were so many fragments of stone lying all over, he knew he wouldn't be able to fix many of them, but it was a nice distraction from spending all his time in the lab. He stopped to look at the ashes from the burnt down building that lead down to the tunnels, that part of the tunnels was caved in, so there was no worry that whatever was down there would appear, but Jungkook still had a weird feeling, plus looking at it made him think of how close he was to losing Seokjin, he hated that ash pile with a burning passion.

     Seokjin approached, stopping a few feet away to admire Jungkook's ass as he bent back down. "I missed that view." Seokjin smiled and Jungkook turned quick to look at him.

     "Seokjin?!" Jungkook's mouth dropped open in surprise, then turned to a smile as Seokjin pulled him in for a hug.

     "Need help?" Seokjin pulled away to look at him.

     "You're..You're okay?" Jungkook stuttered, hoping he wasn't daydreaming.

     "I'm okay." Seokjin grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled the younger in for a deep kiss. "You taste good."

     "Pancakes." He smirked. 

     "You should take a break, go for a ride with me." Seokjin kissed Jungkook's neck, tiny little teasing kisses, making it hard for Jungkook to concentrate,

     "But there's so much work left to do-"

     "Would you rather be picking up a bunch of rocks or be inside of me?"

     Jungkook looked at him shocked. "You just came out of a coma-"

     Seokjin grinned, raising his eyebrows, "I'm fully healed."

     Jungkook would much rather be with Seokjin than picking up and mending gravestones. Seokjin sensed the younger might need more convincing, so he wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled him closer, brushing his lips against Jungkook's shoulder as he pulled the collar down and gently bit the crook of Jungkook's neck, sending shivers down the younger's spine.

     "I'll have you back in a couple of hours, I promise." He tugged on Jungkook's waistband, "I'll even let you drive."

     Jungkook smiled.

     Twenty minutes later they were at the water's edge and he was having his way with the elder in the sand, accumulating sand in places he never thought possible. Lube and sand did not make good friends, but Jungkook was happy that Seokjin at least thought to bring a blanket.

 

     Seokjin was staring at the large blob of lubricated sand that was sitting next to the blanket, swirling it around with his finger. He was just sitting there in a pair of shorts, on the blanket, thinking about stuff. Jungkook was staring at him from down by the water. _God, why is he so fucking hot?!_

     "Not that I'm complaining, but what's come over you?" Jungkook asked, rejoining him back on the blanket.

     "You bent over in front of me, I couldn't help it." Seokjin turned over on his back as Jungkook straddled his lap.

     "My ass is covered in sand." Jungkook frowned.

     "Do you wanna head back and shower?"

     "With you?" Jungkook was just as insatiable.

     "This is why I love you." Seokjin sat up and kissed him, then pushed him off and grabbed his shirt.

     "What time is it?" Jungkook grabbed his own shirt and slipped it on.

     "I don't know, I need a new phone."

     "Same." Jungkook held out his hand to help the elder up. 

     The two of them packed up the blanket and headed back to the motorcycle, Jungkook climbed on and started it up as Seokjin secured the blanket, then climbed on the back. Seokjin glanced back at the beach and noticed a figure standing by the water, turned towards them, watching as Jungkook pulled away. He blinked as a bug flew into his face, swatting it away, but when he turned back to look at the water, the figure was gone.

     Jungkook sped off.

 

     It was dinner time when they got back and Namjoon insisted everyone come to the dining room to feast as a pack. He wanted to discuss the fate of the, now three, hybrids and tell them what he had planned for them, he also wanted to talk about the fact that there was something horrendous living in the tunnels that was a danger to humans and it was up to them to investigate and find a solution.

     Everyone was already seated when Jungkook walked in and sat, hair still wet from his shower. Jimin just floated in the corner, eyeing the newly slaughtered rare beef that was sitting on everyone's plates, he would be drooling if he actually had any saliva.

     "First and foremost, we need to discuss the opening in the record's hall. Minwoo, rest his soul, his loss has left us in a quandary." Namjoon nodded to Taehyung and Jimin, who bowed their heads. "My first choice is Abram, he's still considering the position. Since he is staying in Russia, we need  someone local to help out. For now, I would like Jimin to be his assistant-"

     "How can you trust him again with the pack information?" One of the pack members scowled. Namjoon was about to answer when Taehyung answered.

     "He's more than made up for it with his life." Taehyung spoke softly.

     "What's to stop him from-"

     "I SAID HE'S MADE UP FOR IT." Taehyung slammed his fist down on the table, the pack member looked horrified. Taehyung rarely got angry, but he wasn't about to let people talk shit about Jimin, not when he sacrificed himself without hesitation. He fucked up, he knew it, but there was no reason that he didn't deserve a second chance, and if Taehyung was willing to forgive him, then they all could too.

     "Jimin knows his way around down there." Namjoon took a bite of his steak, "Oh Hoseok, amazing dinner."

     "Thank you." Hoseok blushed and looked down, picking at his plate of rabbit brains.

     "Our pack has reduced significantly in numbers, we need to start growing it again." Namjoon looked at them. "I have several prospects, both born and turned."

      'Born' meant they have had their abilities since birth, they were raised by parents who were of the same species, they understood the supernatural life, having been around it all their whole lives. 'Turned' was different, turned meant they acquired their powers due to a bite - only a handful of species could turn a human. Turned meant that you were thrown into the life without a clue of how to deal, as most turns were on accident. Most turns were victims, whose predator didn't stick around to teach them the rules. There was also the occasional on purpose turn, especially if a creature fell for a human. Namjoon had recruited many 'turned' into the pack.

     "The more purebreds, the stronger the pack." 

     "You know that's not always true." Namjoon reasoned, "Many strong pack members were turned."

     "This elitist mentality bullshit needs to stop." Yoongi spoke up.

     "I agree. This pack has never been about that." Namjoon maintained, "Which brings me to the three hybrids-"

     "You're not going to let them join our pack, are you?" 

     "They're all whelps, raised to believe that everyone is their enemy. Once Cato obtained the domination he sought, he was going to dispose of them, replace them all with purebred Onyx."

     "Dangerous whelps who would see us dead." A pack member called out and several agreed.

     "It is my hope that they will see the error of their ways." Namjoon sighed, "It's not going to be easy, we lost a lot of good people, but we need numbers-"

     "Quantity over quality? No thanks. This pack has been a joke for awhile now." The disgruntled pack member called out and stood up. "I intend to find a real leader to follow-"

     Seokjin stood and grabbed the guys arm, sneering. "Then maybe you should leave."

     He started to lead the man out protesting. Namjoon nodded to Seokjin as a silent thank you.

     Outside Seokjin walked the pack member down to the gates, there were no guards standing watch, so Seokjin had no one to witness him as he pushed the pack member through the gate ahead of him, grabbing him by the shoulder and thrusting his claws into the man's back, covering his mouth before he could scream too loudly.

     "No one likes an ungrateful prick." Seokjin hissed into his ear, dropping him when he was done draining. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as if suddenly renewed, smiling. He dragged the body into the woods and headed back to the house, with a reminder to take care of it after everyone had drifted off to sleep.

     Seokjin slipped back into his seat, Jungkook glanced up at him, he was sure five minutes ago he felt a weird burst of energy jolt him and wondered what Seokjin had done with the pack member. Hoseok noticed Jungkook was looking at Seokjin oddly.

     "About the tunnels," Hoseok spoke up, training his eyes on Seokjin now. Seokjin looked over at him. "If Seokjin can't remember what he saw down there, I would like to read him-"

     "You're not reading me," Seokjin informed him.

     "Then hypnosis-"

     Seokjin stared through Hoseok, giving him an eerie feeling.

     "That is a good idea, you're the only one alive that has seen this thing." Namjoon chimed in.

     "I don't want him poking around in my head." Seokjin didn't take his eyes off Hoseok.

     "I'm going to have to insist, Seokjin." Namjoon stood firm. "It's important we know what we're dealing with."

      Seokjin clenched his jaws, "Fine. When?"

     "Tomorrow morning is fine." Namjoon nodded.

     Seokjin took a bite of his steak, still staring at Hoseok.

 

     It was half-past 3 AM, the crickets were chirping their usual choruses outside, mixed with an occasional loon cry to offset the monotony. It was a peaceful night, the dismal weather of the past month, long gone. Seokjin moved Jungkook's arm off of his abdomen and inched out of bed, throwing on his pants and grabbing his hoody that was draped over Jungkook's chair next to the door. He slipped his feet into his shoes, careful not to make too much noise, then turned and walked out of the room, cautiously closing the door. Jungkook raised his head and looked towards the door.

      "What the hell?" He said to himself, throwing back the covers and reaching for his pants.

 

      Seokjin threw the pack member's body into the river, pushing it off the bottom with his foot and watched as it floated downstream. He looked up at the sky.

     "What?" Seokjin turned around to look at Jungkook, well aware the younger had been watching him for the past few minutes.

     "Was that Ollie?" Jungkook walked over to him, dismayed.

     "Why are you following me?" Seokjin looked back up at the moon.

     "That's the thing you're worried about?" Jungkook really hoped he was dreaming.

      Seokjin sighed, "He had a chip on his shoulder and he knew too much."

     "So you killed him?"

     "I drained him first, it wasn't a total waste."

     Jungkook was speechless, he didn't know what to say.

     "Packs have secrets Jungkook, once a member, always a member." He grabbed the back of Jungkook's neck and pulled him closer, leaning his forehead on the youngers, closing his eyes. "Until death."

     Jungkook closed his eyes, he was troubled, but Seokjin being close was soothing him, calming him down.

     "I love you." Seokjin whispered and then kissed him. "We should go back to bed."

     Jungkook nodded, he felt drunk. He turned to walk back towards the path. Seokjin smirked, he grabbed Jungkook's hand and swung him around, pinning him against a tree.

     "What are you doing?"

     "Do you really have to ask?" Seokjin kissed his lips.

     "We've already done it three times today." Jungkook whined, trying to ignore the butterflies that suddenly took residence in his stomach.

     "But you look so damn sexy right now." Seokjin pouted.

     "I'm going back to bed." Jungkook pushed him away after planting a kiss on his lips. Seokjin watched him disappear behind the brush, then turned back to the river, kicking a rock that was sitting on the edge into the water.

_How the hell am I going to block Hoseok from seeing shit in my head tomorrow?_

* * *

 


	36. Seokjin's Thirst

     Seokjin evaded Hoseok in the early morning by going with Jungkook to pick out new phones, they got matching pink iPhones. Jungkook didn't even like pink and he had no clue why he didn't choose the color he normally would - black. Seokjin also talked Jungkook into getting ice cream from the shoppe down the road, Seokjin's flavor of choice - strawberry.

     "You have a thing for pink." Jungkook grimaced as he took a picture of Seokjin to set as his contact.

     "Jungkook, I can tell you anything, without you judging me, right?" Seokjin was deep in thought.

     "Yeah of course, why?" Jungkook put his phone in his pocket, taking a lick of his ice cream.

     Seokjin looked around, the street was crowded with tourists and old people running errands. The ice cream shoppe, where they were eating, had several young people who were goofing off to the side of them, and between the teenagers on bikes riding past and mother's with their children going in and out of the clothing store across the street, he was distracted a bit. No one really paid them attention though, all these clueless humans.

     "When I was down in the tunnels, trying to figure out a way to get out, Cato was sitting there dying," Seokjin looked at Jungkook, who was licking his ice cream. "He thought I was going to save him somehow. I was dragging him through the fire and then the explosion happened and it sent us flying-"

     Jungkook was getting a bad feeling. "What did you do?"

     "I drained him, I was so weak and I thought he was too far gone, but the amount of power that flowed through me Jungkook, it was huge, nothing like I ever felt before-"

     "You drained him?" Jungkook's ice cream fell off the cone, but he didn't bother to look down, he just stared at Seokjin.

     "If I hadn't, I would be dead right now," Seokjin assured him.

     "Are you sure about that?"

     "You said you wouldn't judge."

      Jungkook threw down his ice cream cone and grabbed Seokjin's forearm, leading him away from the ice cream shoppe, to the alleyway next to them. "Do you know why I had to be the one to take Jacker's power?"

     "Because you're blue." Seokjin leaned against the wall of the building, looking at him.

     "I feel part of Namjoon inside of me, I think that's why my fur turned white, Namjoon is pure." Jungkook looked at Seokjin, scared. "He said if you drained Jacker, it would corrupt you."

     "I feel Cato's thoughts in my head-"

     "Jesus Seokjin, if Jacker's power would corrupt you, then what the hell is Cato's power going to do to you?"

     "If Hoseok reads me, they'll know."

     "Do you remember anything about that monster in the tunnels?" Jungkook was worried for his lover.

     "No, but I'm thinking maybe if I go back down there, try to see it-"

     "Are you fucking crazy?" Jungkook gasped, "That thing will kill you."

     "What other choice do I have?" 

     "Maybe if they knew what happened, they could help-"

     Seokjin shook his head. "No, Jungkook, you don't get it-"

     "What don't I get?" Jungkook asked, troubled.

     "Do you remember what Namjoon said, if he ever thought you were in danger, what would happen?"

     Jungkook tried his hardest to remember, but it wasn't coming to him. "No?" He shook his head, questioning the elder.

     "He said he would make sure that I wasn't around you-"

     "Woh, why would he do that? You're not a danger to me-"

     "Jungkook, I have Cato's power, his emotions...his thoughts, I could be a danger to everyone."

     Jungkook leaned against the brick wall, opposite of Seokjin, his knees felt like they might buckle. "He can't hide me away, we're fucking adults."

     "Pack code of ethics, and he could be right, I could hurt you-" Seokjin looked down at the ground.

     "You wouldn't do that," Jungkook lifted Seokjin's chin to look into his eyes, "I know you."

     "I can't block this out if he reads me and I can't let them see this, not until I figure it out."

     Jungkook hugged him, he didn't know what else to do. This certainly explained Seokjin's behavior the last few days, Jungkook thought he seemed a bit different.

     "What if you can't figure it out?" Jungkook looked at him.

     "I have to. I just have to work through it, learn to separate Cato's thoughts from my own."

     "Seokjin, I don't like this." Jungkook couldn't help but think that the prophecies could be right, rewritten some, but the outcome would be the same. The end of the werewolves.

     "I need to see it." Seokjin was determined, "It has to sleep at some point."

     "How the hell are you going to find it, it could be hidden anywhere in there."

     "Well, a giant hole wouldn't be hard to miss, right?" Seokjin had to be positive. "I'd rather not do this alone."

     Jungkook looked at him like he was crazy. "Well, I wouldn't let you do this alone...Jesus Christ, if I'm going to die, I at least want it to be with you."

     Seokjin had to snicker a bit, Jungkook's love for him was unreal, he knew he didn't deserve it. _He's easy to manipulate Seokjin, he would do anything for you._ Jungkook thought that Seokjin's horrified expression was him just being nervous about the tunnels, because the younger could not hear Seokjin's thoughts. Cato was getting harder to block out.

 

     The tunnels were dark, giving off a very haunting feel, Jungkook knew it was his nerves, the notion that at any time this thing could pop out and eat him did not make him feel at ease. Seokjin walked like he had a purpose, he wasn't afraid of anything, Jungkook admired that about him, but it also scared him, Seokjin was reckless too often. 

     Jungkook took out his phone and turned on the flashlight, shining it down the long corridor. Seokjin stopped, trying to pinpoint where exactly he had met this thing.

     "Is any of this bringing back a memory?" Jungkook whispered.

     "No." Seokjin took a deep breath, covering his mouth and nose with his inner arm, everything down here stunk, a foul perfume of death.

 

     They walked a good fifteen minutes, searching the wall for any sign of a large opening. Nothing, not even a crack. Jungkook was getting annoyed, he kept getting texts from Taehyung asking where they were, and he kept ignoring them.

     "Just text him back, tell him we'll be back soon," Seokjin recommended, knowing full well that Taehyung would not stop.

     "My attention is a little more focused on scary monsters right now."

     Seokjin shined his light ahead, noticing a hole carved out in the wall, surrounded by scratch marks dug deep into the stone. "Holy shit." 

     Jungkook trained his light in the same place and stopped walking. "That's fucking big."

     Seokjin was about to step inside when Jungkook grabbed his arm to stop him.

     "What?"

     "Be careful," Jungkook warned.

      Seokjin shook his head in disbelief. "Ya think? Come on."

     Seokjin stepped inside, shining the light ahead of him, the place was a slime pit, a rather large empty room of rock filled with bones, debris, and slime. _Empty. Where the hell are you?!_   Seokjin glanced at Jungkook, the younger's face was pale and glistening with sweat beads. "Relax."

      _Relax_ was not the word that Jungkook was thinking, this monster could be returning at any moment and they were in its home, just standing there wearing invisible signs that read, 'Eat Me!' The word on Jungkook's mind at this moment... was 'run'.

     "We shouldn't be here-" Jungkook stopped talking when he felt the ground shake slightly. "Did you feel that?"

     Several more tremors shook the ground below them, Jungkook backed up to lean against the wall, searching for a place to hide. Seokjin turned off his flashlight, pocketing it and joining Jungkook against the wall, inching along the gunk covered surface, coming to a small niche, large enough for one of them to squeeze into. Seokjin pushed Jungkook inside.

     "What are you doing?" Jungkook attempted to grab Seokjin, but he stepped away. "Seokjin!"

     "I'm going to try to keep its attention on me, I want you to slip away, run back out."

     "No, I'm not leaving you here alone with it."

     "Just do what I say-"

     The tremors became larger. Seokjin went and stood at the far end of the room, Jungkook turned off his flashlight, dread growing inside of him. "Don't do this."

     "I'll be right after you, I just need to see it."

      The tremors became small quakes, shaking the whole room, causing pieces of rock to fall from the ceiling. The creature growled out and Jungkook froze. He looked at the opening and all he saw were jaws, open and salivating, sharp teeth just waiting to chow down on their squishy flesh. It slowly worked it's way into the room, eyeing Seokjin.

     "Go," Seokjin yelled over to him and Jungkook couldn't move. "Now."

    Jungkook didn't want to, but he did as Seokjin asked and ran out of the room and back up the tunnel. 

    Seokjin stared at the creature as it stood there, it had to be at least 12 feet tall, with scaly black skin, bulging silver eyes and a row of sharp, protruding teeth. It was quite beautiful and majestic, but something about it was terrifying at the same time, it resembled a small, wingless dragon. Seokjin held his hands up, letting it know he wasn't here to hurt it. It roared out and Seokjin was besieged with a strong fish odor.

     "You stink," Seokjin yelled, eyeing the exit. The creature took a few steps towards him and he backed up, against the wall. "Back up-"

     The creature sneezed and stopped, and Seokjin swore it understood what he had just said. A flashback of the night when Cato attacked played through his mind, he remembered the creature had grabbed his leg and dragged him down the tunnel floor and stopped when Seokjin yelled out, it had dropped him and backed off. He also remembered that his whole life had flashed before him when the creature bit him, he saw when he was a baby being held by his mom, cradled in her arms, when he was a kid and Eric was teasing him, bit and pieces of his life all the way up until when he slaughtered Jacker. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, like all the emotions he hadn't felt a week ago, all flooded him at once.

     "What the hell are you?" Seokjin bellowed, he needed to get out of there. He broke out in a cold sweat, too many things ran through his mind, he was panicking. The alarm on his phone rang out and the creature backed up, the sound seemed to hurt its ears. Seokjin took out his phone and turned up the volume, holding it out in front of him. The creature growled, shaking the room. It swung around and bounded out of the room and off down the tunnel.

     When Seokjin reached the warehouse steps, he slowly climbed them, feeling Jungkook grab his arm and pulling him forward.

     "Are you okay?" Jungkook asked, pulling him into a hug, "Did it hurt you?"

     Seokjin wrapped his arms around Jungkook, pulling the younger close. "I need to talk to Taehyung-" The elder was breathing heavy.

     Jungkook just nodded.

 

     Back at the lab, Taehyung and Hoseok were conversing about random topics while mixing up some balms with the herbs they had just picked. Namjoon walked in, concerned about why Seokjin had still not come down to have Hoseok read his memory.

     "Any word?" Namjoon asked, leaning against the counter.

     "They're on their way. Seokjin remembered what it looked like." Taehyung answered.

     "Really?" Namjoon seemed suspicious, but he didn't let on.

     "Apparently, it's big and ugly." Taehyung handed Hoseok a clean pestle.

     "Aren't all monsters big and ugly?" Hoseok questioned, grinding up some valerian root.

 

     Seokjin and Jungkook walked in a few moments later, Seokjin looked as though he just lost a game of willpower against the dark forces of the universe, his complexion was an 'I've just seen a ghost' shade of pale and he wore a sour expression on his face like he was attacked by twenty lemons all at once. He tried his best to describe what the creature looked like and what had happened when it bit him, making Namjoon question why he had suddenly remembered and why he seemed to have been stalling at having Hoseok read him.

     "So you went back to see it, didn't you?" Namjoon asked and they all looked at him, everyone except Seokjin. "Why?"

     Jungkook was about to speak, but Namjoon held up his hand to him, telling him not to say a word. Seokjin just stared straight ahead, not meeting Namjoon's gaze, his expression was inflamed, he really did not want to have to answer that.

     "Seokjin?" Namjoon raised his brow, waiting for an answer he already knew.

     "I wanted to see it," Seokjin answered, looking Namjoon in the eye. Namjoon didn't show it, but the feeling he got from Seokjin was wicked, villainous. Namjoon knew in an instant what Seokjin did, he only ever got that feeling around Cato.

     "Seokjin-"

     "I can handle it, just back off," Seokjin growled and they all looked confused. What were he and Namjoon talking about? Handle what? Add to the fact that he blatantly just told Namjoon to back off, something was going on. Jungkook was the only one with a clue as to what had transpired.

     "That is a lot of power, evil energy." Namjoon kept on, "You cannot handle this on your own."

     Seokjin just smirked, Jungkook knew Namjoon was right, but there was no way he would admit that. "Why do you doubt me so much Namjoon?"

     "I don't doubt you, but you need help." Namjoon took a step towards him, Seokjin's fight or flight reflex was about to kick in, until Jungkook stepped in between them.

     "I'll help him-" 

     "You don't even understand what you're dealing with." Namjoon looked around Jungkook to Seokjin, "This power will consume you-"

     "You think that little of me?" Seokjin pushed Jungkook out of the way. "I said I can handle it-"

     Namjoon was standing face to face with Seokjin, both staring each other down. "It's not that easy. Look at how you are right now."

     Seokjin looked as if he wanted to rip Namjoon to threads. but Namjoon stood firm, unwavering. Seokjin's mouth was contorted into a snarl, he was fighting the urge so hard.

     "Seokjin, you're fine, right?" Jungkook called out, but Seokjin did not acknowledge him. It wasn't until Yoongi walked into the room that Seokjin looked away.

     "Woh, what's going on?" Yoongi felt the tension, so thick that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

     Seokjin seemed so have snapped out of his little anger fit and turned to him, "I need a drink."

     "Then let's go."

     Yoongi and Seokjin left the room in an instant, Jungkook was standing there, mouth opened, staring at the door.

     "Um, okay." Jungkook scoffed.

     "It's probably better if he goes and cools off." Namjoon put his hand on Jungkook's shoulder.

     "So...what was that?" Hoseok inquired, feeling as if he could finally breathe now.

     "You really think he's that dangerous?" Jungkook asked him, hoping Namjoon wouldn't send him to Siberia.

     "If at any time you think he is losing control, you come and get me."

     "Okay." Jungkook agreed, he had a feeling that he'd be taking Namjoon up on the offer before this was all over.

     "I have to go see the council, something about this isn't right." Namjoon confided.

 

     Yoongi and Seokjin were swerving in and out of cars, racing against each other on their bikes. The two of them together was like gasoline on an open fire, feeding off of each other's reckless nature. Neither of them cared, they evaded the cars and ignored the beeping, riding down the highway at full speed, not slowing down even when a cop was on their tail. They lost the law somewhere near the beach, hiding their bikes in the brush of the woods, laughing as the cop passed them, clueless.  They pulled into the parking lot of a bar and went inside, Seokjin ordered some drinks while Yoongi used the bathroom. 

     Seokjin pulled out his phone and texted Jungkook:  **Hey, sorry I just left, I needed to get out of there before I hurt Namjoon. I'll make it up to you. I LOVE YOU!**

Jungkook looked down at his phone, he wasn't too happy with the elder, but he promised himself he wasn't going to be _that_ jealous boyfriend. He texted back: **Yah, you bet your ass you'll make it up to me. I love you too.**

Seokjin smiled as he put his phone away, looking over as Yoongi sat down.

     "So what did you do?" Yoongi took a sip of his drink and slipped off his jacket.

     "I may have drained a certain old fuck before he died." Seokjin drank down his drink and slammed down the glass. "I may have also told Jungkook I did it to save myself."

     "You lied to the kid?" Yoongi was surprised.

     "Cato was dying, it would have been a waste not to." Seokjin watched as the bartender poured him another drink.

     "But why lie?" Yoongi drank his down and held the glass up to the bartender.

     "You think he would have understood what I did?"

     "No." Yoongi had to admit, the kid was pure deep down, even if he was an asshole when he was jealous. Namjoon's power added to that, and throw in the white fur, his 'blueness' was apparent. 

     "I mean, technically, I would have probably died if I hadn't drained him," He smiled. "But, semantics."

     Yoongi grinned, he knew Seokjin was enjoying this more than he would admit to. "If you start breeding hybrids to rule the world with, I _will_ kill you, just so you know."

     "I would expect nothing less." Seokjin toasted him, drinking down the contents of his glass.

 

     Two hours later, the pair was bewitched by a game of drunken darts, taking turns winging the sharp-tipped instruments towards the black and red numbers, that at the moment made less sense then their conversation on the proper way to eat pop-tarts, missing the board entirely, adding small holes to the wall that was already covered with the remnants of previous games.

     "I need a favor." Yoongi sighed as if suddenly remembering a terrible memory.

     "Oh god."

     "Yeah, that's how I feel." Yoongi slammed back his drink, rotating his neck to crack it, "My father has requested my presence." He made a bitter face, which had nothing to do with the taste of the drink.

     "Why?" Seokjin already suspected the why, Yoongi's father always got antsy when it came to his pack activities.

     "He always held you in high esteem, I know he wishes you were his son." Yoongi was never one to go out of the way to please his father. "I don't want to go there alone."

     "I never minded your family, you know that."

     "I'm sure now that he knows Namjoon's position has been downgraded from god status to lowly witch, he's going to have some words that I really couldn't care less to hear," Yoongi frowned, "But nonetheless, if I don't go, he will be a thorn in my side."

     "Vampire Prince, your wish is my command." Seokjin laughed.

     "Say that again, see what happens." Yoongi grimaced, half kidding.

     

      About two bottles of alcohol later, Yoongi and Seokjin found themselves at the beach, their usual drunken conversation spot. Seokjin was standing at the end of the jetties, staring out at the horizon. Yoongi was several feet behind him, watching the waves crash on the beach, both of them about a second away from toppling off the rocks into the water.

      "You're addicted to draining, don't lie." Yoongi turned his attention to Seokjin.

      "I know I need to control it, but it's hard." Seokjin sat down on the rock. The water of the waves crashing alongside him soaked his hair, the chilly water made him shiver. "It's like bloodlust."

     "You don't have to justify for me, I'm not exactly pure myself." Yoongi smirked, he was always the black sheep, bad boy of the vampire hierarchy. The only offspring of the blood-sucking king if you will. His mother was more a nomad vampire, cast out of her family, wandering in and out of people's live before settling down with Yoongi's father. He took after his mother in so many ways, down to her white hair and pale skin. He never followed the code and always managed to be problematic, mostly out of spite and contempt for the way his father treated his mother. He despised going back to the coven, and his father loved to summon him, he swore it was to get on his nerves, remind him where his roots were. Yoongi didn't want anything to do with all that, he just wanted to live his life, his way. That was half the reason Yoongi joined Namjoon's pack, they had known each other since Yoongi was a few years old and he trusted Namjoon, enough to pledge his loyalty.

     Seokjin was about to say something when he noticed that strange figure again, this time standing up by the bikes in the parking lot, he squinted to try to make out a face. "Do you see that or am I going crazy?"

     Yoongi looked at him, "See what?"

     Seokjin stood, taking a step towards Yoongi, slipping on the wet rocks, he caught himself by grabbing on to Yoongi's shoulder. When he looked back towards the parking lot, the figure was gone. "What the fuck?"

     Yoongi looked towards the parking lot, seeing nothing. "I think you've drunk too much tonight. Should we call Jungkook and Taehyung to come pick us up again?"

     "Aha, you're an asshole." Seokjin laughed. He looked back at the parking lot. _I'm going fucking crazy._

 

     Seokjin collapsed into his bed sometime around 5 AM _._ The morning serenade of the birds filled his ears, _stupid_ _birds_ _and their racket!_  He was drifting in and out of sleep, trying to understand what this strange man could want from him. Was it someone he drained coming back to haunt him? Maybe it was someone Cato had wronged. He turned to his side contemplating if he was just drunk or crazy or maybe both, just now realizing that Jungkook was fast asleep in his bed, this kid could sleep through an earthquake. He kicked off his shoes, not taking his eyes off of the sleeping beauty.  _You really are perfect, god, I love you so damn much._  He wrapped his arm around the younger, snuggling up and resting his head in the crook of his neck. Jungkook moaned out, resting his hand on Seokjin's shoulder.

     "I love you, Seokjin." Jungkook mumbled, still asleep. Seokjin smiled, everything was right in the world for a small instant, tomorrow he would work on figuring out this duality in his brain. For now, he was just going to concentrate on the sweet smell of the younger's skin and drift off into a nice dream.


	37. Hybrid Loyalty

This chapter has some rated M material =] cough (smut)

* * *

 

     The three hybrids had been kept in a room together for the first few days, Namjoon made sure they were fed, but not much else, no stimulation other than each other's company. On the third day he had separated them, he wanted to see how they handled the stress of being alone. The third hybrid had committed suicide, swallowed down a hefty amount of wolfsbane. Cato had told them if they were caught, all they had to do was take the special poison contained in their lockets and it would kill them, saving them from whatever torture they would receive and keep their secrets safe. Namjoon figured if the other two wanted to off themselves, they would have by now, this meant they wanted a chance at life. They even willingly gave up their lockets after Hoseok figured out where the poison had come from. Namjoon wanted to sit down and talk with the remaining two, one on one. He was still weighing the idea of Seokjin being present, he wasn't sure if he could fully trust him, but he was also the hybrid's nephew, and he had Cato's energy inside of him. He figured they would be the most comfortable around Seokjin.

     Hoseok had learned the younger hybrid was an eighteen-year-old female, her name was Harley. She was quite tiny and Namjoon figured she was probably a mix of onyx and fairy. Her hair was a pale shade of pink, much like bubblegum, reaching down to the middle of her back, with a single tiny braid just behind her ear, fairy youth usually wore this to signify tribes. He figured they didn't have tribes within Cato's ranks, so this probably meant that she had researched at least something about the fairy species. The second hybrid was most likely around the age of twenty-one, he seemed to be the most dominant of the two, Harley referred to him as Demetrius, he gave off the impression that he was her protector. Namjoon speculated he was part wendigo because of the shape of his teeth, the species have very specific sharp, pointy teeth.

   

      Jungkook and Seokjin were at the punching bag in the weight room, but from Taehyung's point of view, they were flirting, since neither of them was really hitting the bag and there was kissing involved. He shook his head and laughed.

      "Get a room," Jimin called out, floating in and out of the ceiling. He was so bored, he had resorted to following Taehyung around.

      "Get a body," Seokjin called up and Jimin's grin turned upside down.

      "Not cool." Jimin pouted.

      Jungkook laughed and hit the bag, finding it hard to take his mind off Seokjin's sweaty, glistening, shirtless body.

     "Werewolf hormones really have such a shit odor." Yoongi was laying on the bench, eyes closed, taking a breather.

     "Vampire breath isn't much better." Taehyung pointed out. Yoongi smirked at him. It was true, the pungent smell of death was unmistakable.

      Seokjin didn't take his eyes of Jungkook, the younger's lust was giving off pheromones, it was like being a dog in heat, and to a bond - it was an invitation to fuck. Seokjin had decided he had enough, he grabbed Jungkook's wrist and lead the younger out of the room.

      "He's like a fucking horn dog," Yoongi commented, frowning.

     "Jealous?" Jimin asked, noticing the grimace on Taehyung's face. "Oh my fucking god, you two have had sex!"

      Taehyung snapped his head up to Jimin, prepared to deny everything, but Yoongi nodded, shrugging his shoulders.

      "My brother is not a virgin anymore." Jimin laughed. 

     "I can kill you again if you don't shut the fuck up." Yoongi sat up, throwing a set of wraps at Jimin who ducked out of the way, going through the ceiling to disappear.

 

     Seokjin had stopped at the broom closet, he pushed the younger inside, closing the door behind them. Jimin swept down through the ceiling outside the door, smiling as he peeked his head through the wood. He was determined to play a prank on them, but what he saw behind that door was more interesting. He pulled his head from the room and floated off back towards the weight room, smiling ear to ear.

     Jungkook pushed the cleaner off the table inside, digging his claws into Seokjin's bare back as the elder sucked down into his neck, they were only ten minutes into it and already Jungkook was ready to burst. He plopped Seokjin's ass up on the table, the height was perfect. Seokjin wrapped his legs around Jungkook as Jungkook pushed him down, pushing himself deeper inside the elder. Seokjin arched his back, trying to grab onto the table, he accidentally sent the mop bucket by his side, flying across the small room to hit the door with a thud. Each moan that Seokjin let out, Jungkook was seconds closer to losing control. The elder's ass was tight and it felt too good.

      "I'm close," Jungkook announced, trying his hardest to hold back. The elder could not contain himself either, the position was perfect for hitting his prostate. "Hold on, not yet."

     Jungkook no sooner said the words, when he exploded inside of Seokjin, each throb of his dick sent Seokjin into a tizzy, his eyes rolled up into his head. Jungkook quickly pulled out and positioned his mouth on the elder's hard cock, pumping a few times before sucking down on the tip. Seokjin was done for, seconds later, Jungkook felt the warm juice hit the roof of his mouth, he gagged. Seokjin rode it out, grabbing the side of the table until he was spent.

     "My fucking god, your mouth is a gift from the gods." Seokjin closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath. Jungkook leaned against the door, smiling, he wanted to go longer, but Seokjin was done before he really had a chance to work his magic.

     "You barely gave me a chance." Jungkook grabbed a towel from the shelf next to him and cleaned himself up, throwing one to Seokjin who did the same. Seokjin stood, pulling up his shorts. He pushed Jungkook against the door and kissed him, then pushed him aside and opened the door, walking out.

 

     Back in the weight room, Seokjin and Jungkook rejoined the rest of them.

     "I didn't think Kookie would be a top." Jimin was beside himself, "Like seriously."

     "I didn't think you'd be such a voyeur." Yoongi blasted him.

     Seokjin gave Jimin a nice 'fuck off' look, he had quite enough of Jimin's interference to last a lifetime, "Isn't there a spell to freeze ghosts?" Seokjin smirked, looking at Taehyung.

     "Stop lurking around closets when people are trying to fu-" Jungkook stopped when he saw Namjoon walk in.

     "Seokjin, I need you." Namjoon insisted.

     Seokjin still wasn't a hundred percent thrilled with Namjoon's presence. "For?"

     "I want to speak with the two remaining hybrids, I figure you being there will help."

     "Fine." Seokjin sighed, irked. Jungkook observed his expression, he was stunned that Seokjin was so rude to their leader. "I'll meet you down there."

     Namjoon nodded and walked back out, Seokjin turned to Jungkook and kissed him, then walked towards the door, passing through Jimin on the way out. Jimin looked horrified, like someone had just rearranged his whole DNA.

     "Don't do that again," Jimin yelled towards the door and Jungkook and Taehyung laughed.

 

      Down in the basement, Namjoon and Hoseok were standing outside of the doors to the rooms the hybrids had been kept in, Seokjin joined them, a look of contempt tarnished his features, he really did not want to have to deal with these people and he was going to make sure Namjoon knew it.

     "Listen, I know you still have an issue with me, but we leave it out here." Namjoon insisted. "I don't want them to feel the tension."

     "I'm fine." Seokjin assured him.

     "Yeah, no, the resting bitch face screams 'I'm okay'." Hoseok patted his back. "It's a good look."

      "Want to lose that hand?" Seokjin snarled and Hoseok quickly removed his hand.

      "Just leave it at the door." Namjoon's tone was enough to make Seokjin understand.

 

      The three of them proceeded into the first room, where the female hybrid was. Harley was petrified, she was huddled in the corner, her legs drawn up tightly to her chest, just staring at them as they entered. The minute she spotted Seokjin, it was like a light came on inside of her. She rose to her feet, her apprehensive demeanor softened.

     "Seokjin!" She was delighted to finally see him in the flesh.

     Seokjin just nodded, she acted as if she knew him for many years.

     "Is it okay if we have a talk?" Namjoon asked.

     "I just want to go home." Harley leaned against the wall, rubbing her hands together, nervous.

     "I'm afraid that's not possible," Namjoon spoke softly.

     "Why?" She looked at him, dejected.

     "Because your home and Cato are gone, so you either join us or die." Seokjin cut straight to the point and Namjoon glared at him, his mouth agape, this was not how he wanted to present this. "Namjoon tends to sugarcoat everything, he thinks you're too weak to handle the truth."

      "Seokjin?" Namjoon questioned, he was quite perturbed with Seokjin's tactics.

     "The thing is, Cato lied to you, about everything." Seokjin didn't give a shit if these hybrids joined them or not, he wasn't about to cater to their sensitivity. "Did it ever occur to you to stop and think about what he asked you to do? Think for yourselves?"

      "No, I..I mean yeah, I did." Harley stuttered, she didn't expect Seokjin to be so blunt.

     "His selfish wish was to dominate the world, prove the Onyx were stronger than anyone else..His fatal mistake was thinking that you have to destroy everyone else to achieve the goal." Seokjin leaned against the wall opposite of her. "Namjoon's pack is different, no one seems to like things that are different."

     "The pack is open for you to join, if you wish to." Namjoon piped in. "No pressure, no one will kill you if you say no."

     She looked at all of them, her expression was glum. Namjoon seemed different from what Cato had described, he was very genuine and soft. She found herself trusting in what he was saying, she never felt that before. Seokjin on the other hand, there was something very Cato-like about him. He was straightforward, not caring much if he hurt anyone's feelings.

     "Is it just me and Demetrius left?" Harley asked, her voice was shaky.

     "If there are others alive, they fled." Namjoon felt sympathetic, he knew this had to be a terrible situation for her. "I'm sorry."

     Harley took a deep breath, "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." She walked over and sat on the bed. "I don't want to be turned out on my own, I don't have any other family besides Seokjin."

     Seokjin really wished she didn't use the word 'family'.

     "What happened to your mother?" Hoseok asked her.

     "I never met the egg donor," She looked down at the ground. "We didn't have mothers."

     "What do you mean?" Namjoon asked her, sitting down next to her, he really wished Noni was here for this, she always had a way of calming people down.

     Harley tucked her hair behind her ear, peering up at him, her purple eyes glistening. "We were born in a lab, then moved to the training facility in the forest when we were seven."

     "Like an experiment?" Hoseok was appalled.

     "I never even talked to Cato directly, it was usually Demetrius that told me what was going on."

     "Wow, what a loving environment," Hoseok muttered in a sardonic tone, hearing this upset him.

     "I've read about love." Harley smiled, "When we were supposed to be studying, a couple of us figured out the internet."

     Seokjin rolled his eyes, he was done with this. "Have you bonded with anyone?"

     "I don't know what that is?" She looked to Namjoon.

     "Did Cato teach you anything about the onyx other than fighting?" Namjoon asked.

     "No, anything that wasn't training was forbidden."

     "Do you know how to fight?" Seokjin inquired, hoping she was useful somehow.

     "Of course." 

     Seokjin looked at Namjoon, "I'd like to test this out?"

     Namjoon was fed up with Seokjin's attitude, and since the other hybrid had more of an alpha mentality, it was probably best that Seokjin wasn't in the room when they talked to him. He nodded and Seokjin walked over to the door, she looked up at him uncertain, but seeing as Namjoon didn't have a problem with it, she stood and joined him.

 

      Jungkook and Taehyung were fooling around on the mat, mostly just Jungkook trying to grab Taehyung who was using evasive maneuvers to dart around him. Seokjin walked in the door with Harley and they stopped to look over. The moment Harley saw Jungkook, she blushed, nervous.

      "This is Taehyung and Jungkook, try to kill them." Seokjin sat down on the bench and they all looked at him, stunned.

      "What?" Jungkook and Harley said in unison, she looked over at him, embarrassed.

      "Show me you can defend yourself, take them down." Seokjin ordered.

      "I'm just gonna sit this one out." Taehyung walked over and grabbed his water off the bench and sat next to Seokjin.

     "I don't feel comfortable with this-" Harley started.

     "A week ago you were ready to murder us, just fucking do it." Seokjin raised his voice and she jumped. Jungkook sensed her hesitation.

     "Maybe just some light sparring?" Jungkook asked and she nodded, not looking back at Seokjin.

     "Oh for fuck sakes." Seokjin's patience was wearing thin, "Whatever, just do something."

     "It's okay," Jungkook assured her and she felt a bit better. He took a fight stance with her and she did the same. They exchanged jabs and kicks and she seemed like she knew what she was doing.

     "Looks like you have a new sparring partner," Seokjin said to Jungkook, Harley looked over at him, her eyes wide. "If she stays."

     Harley didn't seem like the warrior type, Jungkook felt like she didn't really want to be a part of any of this, but since she had nothing else, she followed along.

     "We're not as bad as Cato made you think." Jungkook rested his hand on her arm and she shied away, nodding.

 

     Several hours later, Jungkook and Harley were standing by the bench, sipping water. She was staring at Yoongi and Seokjin as they did takedowns. 

     "Why is he such a hardass?" Harley asked, setting her water down.

     "He hates bullshit." Jungkook took a long swig of his water.

     "Are they..together?" She asked, causing Jungkook to choke on his water.

     "You might get that impression, huh?" Jungkook frowned, "Do you wanna go for a walk?"

     Harley looked at him dumbstruck, she did, but the thought of being alone with him made her skittish. She thought he was quite attractive. "Uh, sure."

     

     Outside, the night air felt good on Jungkook's sweaty body, the sun was just setting and the sky was painted a mixture of orange and pink, the moon was threatening to poke through the dark clouds, it looked like it might storm soon. Harley picked at her nails, wondering what to talk about.

     "You gonna stay?" Jungkook asked, stopping at the garden wall to lean on it, catching a glimpse of the moon as the clouds passed over.

     "I don't really have anywhere else to go." Harley kicked at the overgrown grass that had sprouted near the wall line. "Seokjin is the only family I have left and I don't think he likes me much."

     "Seokjin takes some warming up." Jungkook snorted, remembering how Seokjin was when he first arrived..and for the next ten years following, "When I got here, he was pretty cold."

     "How long have you been here?" Harley looked at him briefly, refocussing her attention back on the patch of grass.

     "Got here when I was 8, so ten years." Jungkook looked over at her.

      "How did you break through?"

     Jungkook smiled. "It took awhile."

     Harley couldn't help but to stare at his mouth. She quickly looked away, fiddling with a string on her sleeve.  Taehyung and Hoseok's laughing made them both turn and look over towards the garden.

     "What's so funny?" Jungkook called over and they both stopped walking to look.

     "Kookie!" Taehyung waved, still giggling, "Jimin got stuck in the wall."

     "What?" Jungkook smiled, "How?"

     He started to walk towards them, Harley followed.

     "Structural deformity or minor miscalculation or some shit." Taehyung laughed harder, "Oh, his face though."

     "Did you leave him there?" Jungkook laughed.

     "Yeah, he's been bothering people in the shower lately, payback." Taehyung turned to Hoseok, suddenly worried, "There is a spell for this, right?"

      "Yes." 

      "Who is Jimin?" Harley asked and Taehyung turned to her.

      "My ghost brother..long story." Taehyung smirked. Harley smiled, she really liked these guys, they seemed fun, not at all like her siblings who were just boring fighting machines 99% of the time.

 

     Seokjin asked Taehyung to meet him in the library, he wanted help in researching what that creature in the tunnels could be. He was already looking through the dragon bestiary when Taehyung sulked in. Clearly, he had other things on his mind than hunting through a bunch of books that probably would tell them nothing.

     "Have you seen Yoongi?" Taehyung asked pulling out a chair, he propped his knee on it and leaned over to look at the book that Seokjin was thumbing through.

     "No, is he missing?" Seokjin peered up at Taehyung's face that was hovering six inches from his own. "Do you mind?"

     "Sorry." Taehyung sat down in the chair with a thump, "I think he's avoiding me."

     "Yoongi's just closed off, I wouldn't worry." Seokjin stopped on a page, "This, it looked a lot like this."

     Taehyung looked down, taking the book. "These are extinct. How closed off?"

     "Take away the wings and add silver eyes and it's this." Seokjin snatched the book back. "He's not sentimental, he thinks love is a ploy that flower shops and candy companies thought up to extort money from mindless humans, and he probably will only want to hang with you when he's horny."

     "Can you be serious?" Taehyung frowned, "He has no problem hanging out with you and telling you shit."

     "I've known him for awhile." Seokjin read the first sentence in the book. "Is it possible one of these survived?"

     "No." Taehyung stood and perused the shelf dedicated to 'Extinct Creatures', he pulled out a thick leather-bound encyclopedia and placed it down in front of Seokjin. "But he likes me, right?"

      "Yeah, but Yoongi is weird." Seokjin looked down at the book's index. "The thing I saw didn't have the wings, so maybe it's related to this somehow?"

     "If someone just happened to somehow get the DNA and breed it down with a lizard, maybe." Taehyung thought for a moment, "I can ask Abram if he knows of anything, Jimin and I have to skype him tomorrow."

     "Yeah do that." Seokjin recalled his visit to the tunnels, "I got the feeling like it understood me when I talked to it."

     "Well, the fact that it didn't eat you could mean that it senses Cato in you, and Cato could have controlled it somehow." Taehyung rubbed his temples. "Why is Yoongi so difficult?"

     "If you met his father, you'd understand." Seokjin closed the book and threw it down on the table top, "Is Abram taking the job?"

     "Yeah, he's working via computer with Jimin, plans to visit a couple times a month."

     "Good." Seokjin stood, "I need to go find Jungkook."

     "He's still outside with that girl." Taehyung reached over and grabbed the book, opening it.

     "Still?"

     "Yeah, they went to the bell tower to star gaze or something." Taehyung flipped back to the page Seokjin had been on.

     Seokjin didn't look pleased. "Great."

 

     Up at the top of the belltower, Harley was pointing out a set of stars to Jungkook, the sky seemed to be infested with cosmic spectacles, twinkling in the night.

     "That's the constellation, Perseus." She took a deep breath, staring up at it like it was a beautiful diamond that had been set into the atmosphere by one of the gods themselves.

     "How do you know so much about stars?" Jungkook was in awe, to him they all just looked like tiny bright lights in the sky.

     "It was one of the things I liked to search for when I was at the facility." She looked up at the sky with such a passion, Jungkook had to smile. "I had to have something to look forward to."

     "Was it bad there?" Jungkook plopped down on the stone floor, leaning his back against the tower wall.

     "I mean, not everyone was bad, there were a couple of us that didn't follow the rules." She sat down next to him. "Picture a place that had like 200 Seokjin's running around, telling you what to do all day, every day for your whole life."

     Jungkook shuddered at the thought. "Did you believe everything they said about us?"

     "I guess for a while. It seemed extreme to me at times, but if you dared to speak up about it, you'd be punished or replaced."

     "That sounds like a shit life."

     "Yeah. I get this safe feeling around Namjoon, like I can really trust him." Harley looked at him, a love drunk glint in her eyes. "And you too."

     Jungkook glanced at her, he was getting strange vibes, he wasn't sure if that expression was for him or her love of stars. "Oh...good." He stood up quick and headed over to the door. "We should get back."

     "Oh, yeah." She stood, brushing off her butt. "You're probably right."

     She watched as he went through the door, taking a quick glimpse up at the sky. This was the best night she had ever had in her entire life.

 

     When they reached the bottom of the bell tower, Jungkook pushed the door open for Harley to go through, Seokjin was standing there, hand on his hips, waiting for them. Harley stopped short almost bumping into him, she backed up and stood behind Jungkook, alarmed by the expression on his face. Seokjin was wearing a scowl, staring straight through the younger like he just committed murder. Jungkook felt like he was in trouble.

     "Hey-" Jungkook started, but stopped when he saw Yoongi coming around from the back of the tower.

     "These fucking mosquitos." Yoongi slapped his neck, peeling off a dead bug.

     "I'm going into town, she needs to be back in her room." Seokjin's voice was monotone, he seemed like he would rather be anywhere else but here.

     "For what?" Jungkook looked at Yoongi then back to the elder. "Drinking again?"

      "Just make sure she's back in her room, can you handle that?"

     Yoongi slapped another mosquito off his arm. "Fucking bugs."

     "Should you be killing your family members like that?" Jungkook snapped. Harley looked shocked.

     "And to think you were doing so well controlling the little green monster," Yoongi smirked, amused.

     "Can we not do this?" Seokjin scolded them both, "I'll be back later."

     "Great." Jungkook was too tired to argue.

     "Yeah, great," Seokjin looked at Harley for a moment before walking off with Yoongi.

     "Do you always talk to him like that?" She asked, her eyes wide.

     "Do you really wanna go back to your room?" Jungkook looked at her, she could see he was pissed off.

     "Not really."

     "How do you feel about deer hunting?" Jungkook lifted his shirt off and threw it down. Harley felt her heart speed up.

     "I've never been." She bit her lip, Jungkook's body was flawless. "But it sounds fun."

 

     The morning sun hit Jungkook's face from over the tree line, jolting him awake. He covered his eyes, sitting up, his head was pounding out of his skull. He turned around to see Taehyung was hurrying towards him, carrying a bag. He threw some shorts and a shirt at Jungkook, then leaned over and shook Harley, averting his eyes to the side. Jungkook slipped on the shorts and looked over, Harley was asleep right next to him, in all her naked glory. He looked away. He had never seen an actual naked girl before, at least not in person. He heard Taehyung tell her to get dressed and then he turned back to Jungkook, standing back up.

     "Get dressed, quick." Taehyung stressed.

     Jungkook slipped on the shirt and glanced behind him at Harley, she had already gotten her clothing on and was working on slipping on her shoes. The sound of twigs breaking behind them made all three of them turn, Seokjin beared down on them in an instant, he grabbed Harley's wrist and started to drag her back towards where he came, she yelled out, startled.

     "Hey, easy-" Jungkook stood quick, rushing over to block Seokjin from moving any further.

     Seokjin let her go, she drew her hand back and rubbed her wrist, frightened. Seokjin turned to Jungkook, "You had one fucking job."

     "You didn't say when to get her back to her room." Jungkook sassed, feeling knuckles across his mouth, he grabbed his chin and turned back to Seokjin. "What the fuck is your problem?"

     Thunder rumbled above them, the dark grey clouds started to close in, darkening the sky. Seokjin looked up, "Listen up mother nature, Don't. Fucking .Push. Me."

     "We didn't do anything wrong." Jungkook clenched his jaw, dangerously close to tackling the elder to the ground and pounding him.

      "Yeah, lying naked together after hunting all night is nothing at all." Seokjin fumed, casting a cold glare towards Harley before storming off.

      _Shit. Fuck. Dumb. Real dumb._ Jungkook was sure this looked wrong, but he knew he didn't fuck her, so he had nothing to feel bad about. The rain began to pour down as he stood there staring after the elder. "Take her back," Jungkook told Taehyung, who was shielding his head with the bag.

     "You coming?"

     "I'll be back later." Jungkook looked at Harley, "Just go with him, you'll be fine."

     Harley's hands were trembling, her heart pounding out of her chest, afraid that if she looked up from the ground, Seokjin might come back. She didn't want to go back to the castle, not if Seokjin would be there. They watched Jungkook trudge off into the rain, she hoped he would be okay, he took quite a hit. 

     "Why did Seokjin act like that?"  Harley turned to Taehyung.

     "Well if your boyfriend woke up naked next to some girl while being out all night, you'd probably be pissed too."

     "Boyfriend?"  Harley was shocked. "Jungkook and Seokjin?"

     "Bonded."

     "What is this bond thing everyone keeps mentioning?"

     Taehyung started to walk, "Come on, let me introduce you to the library."

 

     


	38. Getting Along

     Harley set the book on bonds aside and looked up at Taehyung, she had questions, a lot of questions.

     "You can find most of this online probably, but seeing it in a book is so much better." Taehyung took a deep breath, sniffing in the pungent aroma one could only experience from a book, he loved the smell of books.

     "So Jungkook and Seokjin are in love and only with each other, forever?" Harley frowned, "But he's like the abusive asshole boyfriend in those dramas."

     "Seokjin?" Taehyung scratched the back of his head. "I never thought of him as an abusive boyfriend."

     "He certainly was today." She shuddered.

      "Believe me, Jungkook isn't innocent either." Taehyung closed the book and set it back on the shelf. "I'm sure once Seokjin learns to control his mind after draining Cato of his powers-"   _Oh shit. No one was supposed to know that.._ He smiled big, his mouth forming a cute rectangle as he turned to her, hoping she didn't hear him. _Play dumb. Be cute._

     Harley's face said otherwise, she definitely heard him and was at a loss for words on how to respond.

     "Umm, I mean...ice cream?" Taehyung scrunched up his face, he knew he fucked up.

     "Seokjin killed my father?" Harley stuttered.

     Taehyung sighed. "No. He just drained him when he was dying."

     Harley stood, "Who killed him?"

     "I did." Jungkook stepped closer, he was dripping water all over the floor, a small puddle had already accumulated below him.

      "Did you go swimming?" Taehyung frowning at the amount of water that was seeping into the carpet. "Why are you so damn wet?"

"So, you're the white wolf? " Harley had no love for the man she called 'father', it was just an empty title...but she remembered the one thing he feared, "The prophecy was true."

     "White wolf?" Taehyung asked before Jungkook could.

     "His death was foretold, he'd meet his demise by the hands of the white wolf, that's why he made preparations just in case."

     "What kind of prepping?" Jungkook walked over, leaning his hands on the back of the chair directly across from her.

     "He wanted to transfer his power to one of his children, but I guess in this case, his grandchild." She smiled as if she just heard an exciting story. "He told Kiesha to stay behind in the tunnels. She was to take his power if anything happened, slip in and out before anyone realized."

     Jungkook tilted his head, trying to process what he was being told. "What happened to Kiesha?"

     "She must have died, since the tunnels were on fire and she had the lighter, she was supposed to seal the tunnels after she took his energy, no one would dare chase Cato down there if the place was on fire."

     "You should have told Namjoon this-" Taehyung uttered.

     "I didn't think about it before." Harley was apologetic.

 

     Jungkook believed the worse, he figured Cato talked Seokjin into draining him before he died, he doubted that Seokjin had done it just to live, why else would he drag a dying Cato through the tunnels? He paced the floors, staring out the window every few seconds, he had to talk to Seokjin, he had to know that the elder didn't do this on purpose. It was nearing 3 AM and Seokjin and Yoongi had still not come back, he was getting sick of his late night outs with Yoongi. 

     He took out his phone to text Seokjin, but decided against it, he didn't want Seokjin to be able to think of an excuse by the time he got home, he wanted to look into the elder's eyes as he asked, this way he could see his reaction.

 

     A long half hour later, Seokjin pulled through the gates and parked his motorcycle, Yoongi following behind. They removed their helmets and Yoongi spied Jungkook headed their way, a not so pleasant look upon his face.

     "Angry looking young person approaching fast." He nodded towards Jungkook and Seokjin turned towards the younger.

     "I'm not in the mood for your shit," Seokjin announced, climbing off the bike.

     "Did you drain Cato on purpose?" Jungkook asked, gauging Seokjin's face. The elder flinched a bit like he didn't expect Jungkook to ever figure this out.

     "Define 'on purpose', because the will to live is pretty 'on purpose'-"

     "Did you do it because you wanted to or did you really think if you hadn't, you'd be dead right now?"

     "Welp, I'm out of here." Yoongi strolled off, an amused smile on his face. 

     "Why am I not surprised that he knows the answer to that." Jungkook was beside himself, Yoongi's reaction pretty much outed Seokjin. "You lied to me."

     "Let's be honest, you knew the answer to this before tonight." Seokjin set the helmet down on the seat.

     "Did Cato asked you to take his power?"

     "No, but why would I waste an opportunity to take it, he was dying." The elder was a little too smug, "That kind of power doesn't present itself often."

     "So the story about doing it because you were going to die-"

     "I probably would have if I didn't, but that's not what I was thinking when I was draining him."

     "Why lie?"

     "You wouldn't have been happy about it, you're fucking pure, you don't think about power-"

     "Neither did you?" Jungkook yelled, "Why would you do this?"

     "I'm not weak, I don't plan on ever being weak." Seokjin shook his head, "There is always someone better out there, someone stronger to fight. The more power I have, the better I can defend myself and you-"

     "I don't need your protection."

     "I need to be able to protect you, Jungkook, whether you want it or not-"

     "No, what you need is to be the stronger one, because with Namjoon's power, I was the strong one."

     "If I can't take care of you, what purpose do I have?"

     "Did you think having Cato in your head was going to be good for us?"

     "I didn't know that would happen-" 

     "No, because you don't think, you're reckless." Jungkook was livid.

     "Sometimes to be the best, you have to break a few rules."

     "You don't have to be the best at everything."

     "Yes, I do." Seokjin felt sick to his stomach, he wanted Jungkook to understand, but he also wanted to tell him to stay out of his business. It was making his head throb. It was selfish and stupid, but he had to be the stronger one, he had to take care of Jungkook, he needed Jungkook to have a reason to look up to him, what else did he have to offer other than strength?

      "Why?"

     "I didn't get where I was by being weak, what else do I have to offer you?"

     "I don't love you just because you're strong." Jungkook hoped all these years that Seokjin didn't think he liked him just for his muscles.

     "My life up 'til now has been training and fighting and trying to get myself to a place where I could beat Jacker-" Seokjin looked down, "Don't fool yourself Jungkook, the basis of your feelings are on my physical appearance, you didn't fall for my brains."

     "Is that the only thing you think I like about you?" Jungkook was hurt, his heart broke. "I felt close to you because you understood me and because you never give up, I never met anyone who was more stubborn than you."

    "I'm stubborn, that's all you got?"

     "Do I need to have a good reason for loving you?" 

     Seokjin scrunched up his nose, he hated that all he was to anyone was a pretty face or a pillar of strength, no one would ever remember anything else about him because there was nothing else. He wasn't emotional, he didn't feel things deeply like Jungkook, he wasn't smart like Namjoon or Taehyung, he wasn't funny like Hoseok. He was reckless and did stupid shit, and he had to be managed. The only one that really got him was Yoongi, one of the biggest reasons that they were so close is that he could be himself around Yoongi - he could be a miserable old asshole and Yoongi was okay with that.

     Jungkook didn't know what else to say, it was obvious that Seokjin was under some delusion that Jungkook couldn't possibly like anything else about him, maybe he wasn't the most open person, but Jungkook knew things about him others didn't, he felt like Seokjin understood him deep down _. Ughh._ He was so conflicted, maybe at first Jungkook saw Seokjin as this hot guy that was a badass fighter, but the other things he felt around Seokjin since back then, it was his world. He couldn't pinpoint just one thing that made him feel the way he did.

     "I just.." Jungkook couldn't find the right words, and he needed to say the right thing. "I won't be lied to, if you can't trust me with the truth, then why bother?"     

      "Hey maybe you can find that book again, on removing a bond, I'm sure you could move on with Harley, she seems pretty into you." Seokjin snarled, not knowing where this anger was coming from, he turned to walk away, because the aggrieved look on Jungkook's face made him want to scream.

     "Stop fucking running away from this-" Jungkook yelled out, Seokjin stopped. "You're not the jealous one, so don't pretend this is about Harley or me wanting out of this bond. This is about you feeling inferior and being too uptight to admit that you think feelings are a weakness."

     "You think I want to be that guy?" Seokjin seethed, not looking at him. "I have to be that tough guy, it's who I am. It's what people expect from me"

     "I don't get you." Jungkook walked over to face him, "Do you need to be like Cato or Jacker that much-"

     "No, they are the exact opposite of everything I believe in-"

     "What do you believe in?" Jungkook questioned. "I don't even know anymore-"

     "I just won't ever be as pure as you-"

     "I don't expect you to be. My mother told me she was happy that we were bonded because we even each other out, we aren't ever going to be alike, and I don't have to agree with everything you do, but at least trust me enough to give me the chance."

     "I drained Cato because I wanted to, it feels good to be powerful, I just don't think you'll ever get that."

     "Just because I don't believe in the same things doesn't mean I don't get it."

     "Can you really stand behind all the shit I do?"

     "No, but I'll still stand beside you. All I have in this world is you." Jungkook felt sad, "Don't shut me out."

     This was all a little too real for Seokjin, he hated this emotional shit. He just wanted to take off, climb back on his motorcycle and hit the beach, forget all of this.

     "I know it's hard for you to open up, but I thought we were past this bullshit."

     "I won't ever stop trying to grow my power." Seokjin declared with absolute truth.

     "You sound like Jacker." Jungkook shook his head, "You need to get Cato out of your head."

     "None of this is because of Cato, this is me-"

     "So the prophecies are coming true." Jungkook surmised.

     "I know the difference between right and wrong-"

     "You're walking a very thin line of morality Seokjin." Jungkook fretted, "You keep on this path and you're going to end up just like them both."

     Jungkook walked off leaving Seokjin standing there, stunned. There was no way he was acting like Jacker. Jacker wanted power, to rule a species into being his army, his slaves. Seokjin wanted none of that. He sunk down on the front steps pondering his whole life. He knew if he kept this up, he would lose Jungkook, they had fought too many times already about too much stupid shit. _Why can't you just get your shit together Seokjin?!_

 

     Taehyung and Hoseok were sitting in the kitchen at the table, feasting on some fresh cow brains. There was a new farm near town that specialized in breeding a nice stock to feed a variety of supernatural creatures who didn't want to harm humans; Blood for vampires, meat for wendigos, brains for zombies, it was quite a nice little establishment. Hoseok had made a pun five minutes prior about how they were making a 'killing' and had earned a smack from Taehyung.

      "This is too much." Jimin whined, sitting on the window sill, looking up at the moon, trying to ignore the fact that he couldn't eat, but oh how he missed steak, raw, so juicy.

      Harley was standing by the counter, sipping down a soda, studying each of them, she really wanted to make sure she had everyone right.

     "So, you two are zombies." She held up her fingers to Hoseok and Taehyung and then turned to Jimin, "You and Taehyung are brothers, you're both werewolves and dead?"

     "Technically he can't change anymore." Hoseok pointed out about Jimin, "He's kind of cursed to a shitty life now."

     "Thanks." Jimin rolled his eyes, he floated over to the table and sat down next to Taehyung, sulking even more. Yoongi walked in and grabbed his usual early morning blood bag from the fridge.

     "And he's a vampire. Got it." Harley felt pretty accomplished.

     Taehyung looked over at Yoongi. "Fun night?"

     "Was up until Jungkook came out," Yoongi smirked. "Those two fight more than any two people should."

     "What do you expect when you put chaotic neutral and lawful good together." Hoseok threw down his brains and wiped his chin.

     "You're fucking weird." Yoongi grimaced, taking a drink of his blood. "They aren't role play characters."

     "We're all just a bunch of players in a big game." Hoseok pondered, waving his hands, accidentally spraying Yoongi with brain juice. Yoongi was disgusted.

     "It doesn't matter what they are," Taehyung piped in, licking off his fingers, "They keep this up and we're all in trouble."

     Jungkook walked in and they all looked at him, he stopped short, the deafening silence was a dead giveaway they had just been talking about him. "What?"

     "You and Seokjin make up?" Hoseok asked, digging back into the cerebellum.

     "I didn't know that was your business." Jungkook pulled out a chair and sat with a thump, next to Hoseok. He tapped his fingers on the table, staring at the wood pattern.

     "So, no." Hoseok concluded.

     "Is he still mad about earlier?" Harley asked, hoping she wasn't the cause of their fight.

     "Nope." Jungkook hoped his short answer would convey that he didn't really want to talk about it, he just wanted to be around people, listen to them for awhile and not think about Seokjin. He stared at the salt shaker.

     "Did you figure out anything about the tunnel monster?" Hoseok changed the subject, looking at Taehyung and Jimin.

     "Abram is doing some research," Taehyung responded, pushing away his plate, he was stuffed. "Should know something by morning."

 

     Jungkook took a walk around noon, to clear his head. He hadn't slept yet and was exhausted, moping around the garden where Taehyung was watering his thistle.

     "He crashed out on the bench in the weight room, pretty sure he was working the bag since your fight." Taehyung sprayed a spider and smiled. "Die, asshole."

     Jungkook had to look over to see what Taehyung was doing, because he didn't think he would be saying that to him, he smirked and sat down on the wall. "I can't fall asleep when he's not there, but I don't want him there right now..what the fuck is wrong with me?"

     "Love, my friend." Taehyung turned off the hose, "So beautiful and yet so tragic."

     "I just wish he would ask me to go drinking with him like he does Yoongi-"

     "Ah, still jealous?" Taehyung sat down next to him.

     "Not really, it's just, why does he hang out with him so much?"

     "Friendship goals," Taehyung smirked, noticing Jungkook was not amused. "Ah, well it's probably because they were cut from the same mold, they feel comfortable being themselves around each other."

     "But he can be that way around me too-"

     "Can he really though?" Taehyung patted Jungkook's knee. 

     "Meaning?" Jungkook didn't understand.

     "He's been closed off and focused on one goal for a very long time, then you come along and break through the wall that he built so high. Once he killed Jacker,  that part of his life that he was focused on for so long was gone. All he has now is you and he's never known how to just be a normal person. He doesn't know how to be around you, because everything he is when he's with you, is different than who he's been his whole life."

     "Huh?" Jungkook was trying to process all that.

     "Let that sink in for a moment." Taehyung looked up at the sun, it was bright and he figured he would have to pick out a good spot in the shade for the new plants he'd been wanting to grow.

     "So what do I do then?"

     Taehyung shrugs, "Be there, but give him the room he needs to figure it out and adjust."

     Junkook stared at Taehyung, realizing the kid was a genius. He was right, Jungkook expected Seokjin to suddenly be a different person, but Seokjin didn't know how to do that yet, and with Cato's thoughts inside him, it wasn't helping his situation in the least. Jungkook stood, "Thanks."

     Taehyung nodded and watched as Jungkook strolled away.

 

     Seokjin was laying on his stomach on the bench in the weight room, his cheek was pressed against the surface, distorting his face. Both his arms were hanging off and resting against the floor. Jungkook found this comical. He sat down on the tiny sliver of bench that Seokjin wasn't occupying, brushing against Seokjin's hair, waking him. Seokjin looked up to see what had woken him and was a bit shocked to see Jungkook sitting there, looking down at him.

     "You have some drool-" Jungkook motioned to the corner of the elder's mouth and Seokjin wiped it off as he sat up.

     "What time is it?" He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair.

     "12:30 I think." Jungkook watched Seokjin stretch. "Abram is going to be calling at 1 with some info on that thing in the tunnels, thought you might want to be present for that."

     "Thanks." He stood, "Gonna go get a shower."

      Jungkook grabbed Seokjin's hand and squeezed, Seokjin looked down at him. It was such a small gesture, but it spoke volumes to the elder, telling him somehow that Jungkook understood him and everything would be okay. He pulled Jungkook to stand and wrapped his arms around him, surprising Jungkook. He closed his eyes and wrapped his own arms around the elder. Jungkook didn't expect the warm, sticky wetness on his shoulder. Seokjin didn't intend to cry, but he had just held everything in for so long, he finally let loose, Jungkook being there meant more than he could ever say. Jungkook tightened his grip, he wouldn't let Seokjin go. Not ever.

     

          Taehyung set his computer down on the table in the library, bringing up Skype and connecting to Abram, the little old man was a little too close to the camera and they could see up his nostrils. Jimin snickered as he floated next to Taehyung.

     "Can you hear me?" Abram cleared his throat and tapped on the webcam, making them both jump.

     "Ahh, yeah, we got ya." Jimin glared at the man on the screen. Abram backed up and smiled. 

     "Oh yes, there you are." He fixed the spectacles on his face. "I found something that should explain a little about the creature you have there."

     Taehyung looked at his watch, "We're just waiting for Jungkook and Seokjin."

     Harley came through the door with Hoseok, she had been helping him in the kitchen and was still wearing the apron. She pulled up a chair off to the side, and Hoseok sat next to her, swatting Jimin away to see the screen better.

     "I would really like to know how they got this thing down there or if they raised it in those tunnels since it was a hatchling." Abram set up a book in front of him.

     Jungkook walked in first and Harley looked over at him, she smiled involuntarily and Jungkook smiled back, Seokjin walked in and she quickly looked back at the computer screen, her smile faded.

     "What did we miss?" Jungkook asked sitting next to Taehyung, followed by Seokjin sitting next to Jungkook.

     "I think your creature is a black Ignis dragon variation, wingless." Abram turned to a page in his book and showed it to the camera.

     "I told you." Seokjin looked at Taehyung.

     "I thought they were extinct?"

     "They are, but there are two labs in Iceland that carry the DNA of many extinct creatures, both natural and supernatural." Abram closed the book. "Cato holds stock in both of the companies, or at least he did."

     "What kind of creatures are there?" Hoseok asked.

     "All of them, from western black rhinoceros to dragons, velociraptors, all things." Abram, slid his glasses down to look at the camera. "Seeing as Cato is deceased, and you're his next living relative Seokjin, the estate is yours."

     "Estate?" Seokjin asked, not even thinking that Cato would have a will.

     "There is a lawyer," He glanced down at the notebook he had in front of him. "Name, uh... Lu Han."

     "Wait, there's an estate and a lawyer and a will?" Taehyung asked, a little amazed.

     "I don't want any of Cato's shit." Seokjin commented, "Do you?" He looked at Harley, who was flustered by the sudden attention Seokjin gave her.

     "I dunno." She answered quietly. "I don't think so."

     "Don't be hasty Seokjin, owning such a property could give you much insight into Cato's mind." Abram reckoned.

     "Yeah, I don't have a problem with that." Seokjin grimaced, "But, you're right, I'm sure he had his hand in a lot of bad shit."

     "I would call the lawyer today, set up the reading of the will." Abram smiled, "I need to get down to the museum, so I'm going to let you boys go."

     "Thanks, Abram." Taehyung waved and turned off Skype. He looked at Seokjin, "Well this is a plot twist."

     

     Seokjin decided to go for a short walk near midnight,   Jungkook had fallen asleep, but he couldn't seem to drift off with all the shit running through his mind. He sat down on the porch steps to stare up at the sky, it was eerily dark, there didn't seem to be many stars out tonight, but the fresh air helped to clear the fog inside of his brain. Taehyung and Harley came towards him from the grounds and they both stopped. She didn't expect to see him and her stomach started to churn. Seokjin sensed that she was feeling uneasy, he knew that was his fault.

     "Taehyung, can I have a minute with Harley?"

     Harley looked at Taehyung wide-eyed, trying to shake her head to alert him not to leave her alone with him, but he didn't look at her.  _Holy shit, he's going to kill me._

 _"_ I'll see you later, Harley." Taehyung nodded and headed inside. 

      _No, you won't because I'll be dead._ She just stood there transfixed on the door as Taehyung shut it, trying not to meet Seokjin's gaze.

     "You don't have to be scared of me." Seokjin started, she made a disbelieving face. "I'm an asshole, I know, but I'm not gonna hurt you."

     She just stared at the ground, anxious.

     "I want you to be at the meeting with the lawyer, since he was your father, you should be there."

     "I wouldn't exactly call him daddy." She glanced up at him and then back down, kicking at the step.

     "Nonetheless, this is half yours too."

     "And Demetrius-"

     "And Demetrius, but he's not cooperating." Seokjin felt a bit bad for her, his harshness had scared her to the point where she was a mess standing here alone with him. He sighed, "I didn't mean to scare you the other day, it wasn't really about you."

      "I know." She muttered, wondering why of all people, Jungkook would be bonded to _him_.

     "I'm sorry if I made you think the wrong thing." Seokjin wasn't used to apologizing, he hoped it didn't sound insincere.

     She looked up at him, questioning if her ears had heard right. "Okay." She half-smiled, not knowing what else to say. 

     "The meeting is at 2, we're leaving at 1:30." Seokjin stared back up at the sky.

     She took that as her cue to leave. "Okay, I'll be there." She nodded and walked inside. 

     It felt weird to be nice to her, he didn't even fully trust her yet, but she was his 'family' as she put it and he should at least make an effort to be civil. She was just a victim in Cato's evil scheme, he could at least acknowledge that she was trying to make up for it. He would play it cool, keep his demeanor somewhere below tyrant and somewhere above doormat.

_Family, what a notion._

 

 


	39. Yoongi's Lament

     Yoongi's Father, Yeolgwi, was a very eccentric man, he liked things to be done in a certain way, _his_ way. That included not only his household and how he ruled over his throne and his henchmen, but also with his expectations from his son. Yoongi despised going to visit his childhood home. Everything about his father's palace was over the top, it looked straight out of a black and white horror movie. Wood paneling, large arched doors, and grandiose chandeliers adorned the place, reeking of tackiness. It was dark and horrid and growing up there was a nightmare. His father was even worse, he made Yoongi's 'cold and sarcastic' seem tame. He wondered how his free-spirited mother ever got with, much less lived with, such a person.

     Yoongi glared at the giant bat knocker situated smack dab in the middle of the vast iron doors. He reached up and grasped the cold brass and slammed it against the door, announcing he was there. He wondered which of the many servants his father had used in the last 100 years would answer the door. He recognized her right away, Sara. Sara had been with them since Yoongi was a teenager.

     "Young master Yoongi." Sara opened the door wide and smiled, she looked to Seokjin and her expression turned love drunk, "Seokjin."

     "Is the old bastard in?" Yoongi strutted in, observing the same awful decor he'd seen too many times.

     Sara gasped. Seokjin turned to shut the door, snickering at the contortion her face made from elation to shock. 

     "You cannot talk about your father that way." She bellowed, Yoongi simply smirked, he didn't give a crap.

     "Where is he?"

     "His office." Sara bowed and walked off, glancing over her shoulder at Seokjin as she disappeared down the hall.

 

     Yoongi walked down the hallway past the stairs, running his finger along the wall, tipping the paintings sideways as he went. Seokjin grinned at how Yoongi became a rebellious teenager when he was 'home'. 

     When they got to the end, Yoongi laughed to himself, glancing up at Seokjin, "Want to know how to fuck with your father's henchmen?"

     Seokjin smirked, "You're gonna get shot one day."

     Yoongi turned the handle of the office door and let it fly open, several men drew their guns before realizing it was Yoongi and Seokjin.  "Boo!"

     "You dumb shit, I could have shot you." Henchmen no.1 yelled.

     "Please do me the favor." Yoongi strolled inside, stopping to gawk at his father's new digs.

 

     In the middle of the Victorian era style room, sitting up on a big gaudy throne chair behind an even uglier mahogany desk, was his father. Yoongi was sure he was channeling some 80-year-old diva with a penchant towards lace and frills, but something was oddly 30's gangster at the same time.

     "Good god, the whole cliche granddaddy vampire thing died down in the 1980's." Yoongi quipped, his father looked up from his papers, glaring at his son.

     "You're two days late." Yeolgwi pushed the papers away and stood, walking over to his son, looking him up and down. "You've lost weight."

     "I'm here, we should focus on that." Yoongi picked some food from his fangs with his tongue.

     "Your disrespect never ceases to amaze me." Yeolgwi turned to Seokjin, "Seokjin."

     Seokjin bowed his head.

     "Why did you summon me... _father_." His obvious mocking pronunciation of father earned him a slap across the face, several of the men snickered. Yoongi just turned his head back to face his father, unfazed.

     "I will not be treated with such contempt in my own home." Yeolgwi walked back over to his desk and sat down. Seokjin could feel the heat coming off of Yoongi, he was dangerously close to losing it. "There are coven matters to discuss."

     "So which offense have I committed this time?"

     "I also have a business proposition for Seokjin," Yeolgwi ignored Yoongi's attempt at making him angrier. "Which shall we commence with?"

     "What could you possibly need with Seokjin?" Yoongi interrupted.

     "A property acquisition." Yeolgwi smiled, "Since he is inheriting all of Cato's properties."

     "What evil thing do we have planned now?" Yoongi sat on the corner of his desk, thumbing through the papers sitting there.

     "What did I do to deserve such a miserable son?" Yeolgwi sat back, crossing his arms.

     "Guess you got lucky." Yoongi inspected his fingernails, bored. "How long is this going to take? I have important shit to do."

     "YOONGI, your bullshit is wearing on my patience." Yeolgwi stood, yelling at him.

     Yoongi stood facing him, "Good, the feeling is mutual." He clenched his jaw in anger, "Just say what the fuck you want." 

     Yeolgwi slammed his fist on the desk, chipping off the corner of it, scaring several of his men. "If it were up to me, I'd have you strung up by your feet and hung in the field for the day."

     Yoongi stood there, unimpressed. "Your tactics don't scare me anymore."

     "You're a regular chip off the old block." Yeolgwi cackled. He turned to Seokjin, staring at him for a few moments, "Seokjin, I sense something different about you."

     Seokjin raised his brows, "Probably my cologne."

     Yeolgwi laughed again. "These two."

     Sara came into the room carrying a cup of tea, her nervous shaking caused the teacup to make a clattering sound against the saucer. Yeolgwi looked at her as if she was interrupting the most important meeting in history. "Sorry sir, I forgot about your tea."

     After she set it down, Yeolgwi smiled, he grabbed her and kissed her, squeezing her ass, "You're very lucky you're good in bed." He hissed and she bowed her head, embarrassed. Yoongi crinkled his nose, fuming. How dare he betray his mother's memory like this. Seokjin placed his hand on Yoongi's shoulder, reminding him to keep his cool.

     "Shall we have lunch in the dining hall then?" Yeolgwi slapped Sara's ass and sent her on her way.

     Yoongi sighed, "Can't we just skip the show-"

     "It's not every day my wayward son comes home to visit." Yeolgwi smiled, wrapping his arm around Yoongi and leading him from the room, Yoongi tried to move out of his grip, but the more he resisted, the tighter his father held on.

 

     Harley was throwing punches at the mitts on Jungkook's hands, His half-hearted blocks made her realize his mind was elsewhere and she sensed that he wasn't much enjoying their little spar session...but he was just too polite to say anything.

     "We don't have to do this." Harley stood up straight, tilting her head as if examining him.

     "Sorry, just have shit on my mind." Jungkook took off the mitts and snatched up his water from the grass next to them, taking a drink.

     "Seokjin?"

     "Yeah." He sat on the grass, rubbing his wrist. He sighed.

     "You don't like Yoongi very much, do you?" Harley grabbed her own water and sat down next to him.

     "I tolerate him." Jungkook chose his words carefully. He despised the bastard, but he was trying for Seokjin's sake not to make a big deal out of them hanging together.

     "He and Seokjin have a romantic history?"

     "Something like that." He furrowed his brow. "Subject change please." 

     Harley took a sip of water and looked over at the garden at Hoseok and Taehyung. Hoseok had said earlier in the kitchen, that he was going to pick the last of the zucchini and make up a batch of bread. Harley pictured weird green loaves of vegetables shaped bread lingering about in the kitchen for weeks because who the hell would eat vegetable bread? "Aside from that weird shit he makes, Hoseok is a decent cook."

     Jungkook smirked, he couldn't deny it. On several occasions he had even become part of that cooking, two times Hoseok had used his blood in some concoction already and he suspected it wouldn't be the last. "Hoseok is single."

     Harley looked at him, flabbergasted. "Why would I need to know that?"

     Jungkook laughed, "Hoseok needs love, he works too hard."

     Harley stared at him, shaking her head. "No, I'm not interested in a relationship." She noticed the scar over Jungkook's eye that ran down to his cheek, "What happened there?" She motioned to his face.

     "Branded by an alpha." Jungkook suddenly felt self-conscious, the scar was faint, but still noticeable, always just a shade paler than his natural skin color. He glanced back towards the garden and noticed Taehyung and Hoseok were headed their direction.

     "When does Seokjin get back?" Hoseok asked.

     "Tonight sometime, I dunno," Jungkook replied, wondering. "Why?"

     Hoseok sat down next to Jungkook, "We think that the creature might have been under Cato's control."

     "So what does that mean?" Jungkook asked.

     "Well..the reason it didn't eat Seokjin and the reason it seemed to listen to his voice was because he has Cato's energy, therefore it thinks that Seokjin is Cato." Taehyung explained.

     "My father was hiding something in the tunnels, we were forbidden to go down there." Harley thought back, "Two of my brothers disappeared down there and Demetrius said that father explained they had defected, they were traitors. It made some of us question why were we going down there that night...of the attack."

     "No other mention of what it might be?" Hoseok asked.

     Harley shook her head, "We weren't allowed to ask questions. He had a lot of secrets, that's why I'm worried about going to his estate tomorrow."

     After meeting with the laywer briefly a day ago, they had set up a day and time to tour Cato's estate, Harley had been on edge since hearing they would have to go to the place he lived with Misae. The rumors she had heard about his time with Misae involved an extreme amount of death and dark magic.

     "Namjoon thinks it might not be dangerous so long as it can be controlled and it can be moved to somewhere that it can't harm anybody," Hoseok stated.

     "Abram suggested a supernatural zoo," Taehyung added.

     "So, how do you catch it and move it?" Harley asked.

     "That's the tricky part." Hoseok sighed.

     

     Yoongi just stared at the porcelain plate in front of him, still full of food. He didn't want to give his father the satisfaction of him enjoying this beautiful piece of rare beef that sat atop it like a finely crafted piece of art. Seokjin had already devoured his meal and was pushing his plate away, taking a sip of the vintage wine that Yeolgwi insisted they pop open for this special occasion, to wash it down.

     "You've barely touched your food." Yeolgwi noticed, "Sara went through great trouble to make this for us."

     "I don't really care what Sara does...or did or will do...ever." Yoongi grinned, mocking him.

     "Have I not given you a good life, Yoongi?" Yeolgwi wiped his mouth and threw down the napkin. "Sara is going to be your step-mother soon enough, you can at least respect her."

     Yoongi snorted, "Can we just forego the bullshit now." He pushed his plate away. "Why did you ask me to come here?"

     Yeolgwi stood up swiftly, grabbed Yoongi by the back of his neck and dragged him over to Sara. "You will not disrespect me in my own home. Apologize for being such an insufferable little shit."

     Seokjin rose from his chair, two of Yeolgwi's men stood behind him ready to assist with sitting him back down if need be. He looked at them, flashing his teeth. "Back the fuck up."

     They exchanged glances as they backed up, alarmed.

     "I'm not going to apologize to her." Yoongi ripped himself free of his father's grip and fixed the hem of his shirt, backing up to look him in the eye.

     "It's okay, he doesn't have to apologize," Sara spoke up, setting down the tiramisu she had brought from the kitchen for dessert.

     "Why must you be so difficult all the time, you bring shame to this family." Yeolgwi stared at Yoongi, disapproving of his life.

     Yoongi grinned, not taking his eyes off his father.

      "Your mother would be so disappointed," Yeolgwi stated flatly and Yoongi lost it, he turned to Sara, bit down into her neck and dropped her in seconds, glaring back over at his father as he wiped the blood trickling down his chin.

     "Oops. Guess you'll need to find me a new step-mother now." Yoongi walked over and sat back down at the table, proceeding to take a large bite of the steak from his plate and chewing it loudly, mocking then both, "Excellent meal."

     Seokjin sat back down, impressed.

     Yeolgwi stared down at the body, pursing his lips. He looked up at the ceiling, questioning the gods for giving him such a burden, trying to get control of himself so he didn't just kill Yoongi then and there. He motioned for his two men to take the body away and sat back down. "As my son, you're the first in line to inherit the throne, your cousin is threatening to state his case to the council and give reasons as to why he is the one that should be the rightful leader."

     "So let him have it." Yoongi didn't stop looking at his food, taking another large bite of steak.

     "I will not." Yeolgwi banged his fist on the table, spilling his water. "Jihoon is not pureblood-"

     "Is that a new law amongst vampires now?" Yoongi argued, "Only the pure of blood need apply?"

     "Jihoon is not fit for the job, end of story."

     "Jihoon has been conditioned for it since birth, he's exactly the kind of person you should put in charge."

     "It is your birthright, to be passed down to _my_ son." Yeolgwi was getting frustrated, which brought much pleasure to Yoongi.

     "I'll pass, I'm happy with my life the way it is." Yoongi pushed his plate away again and stood. "If you having nothing left for me, I'll go hang out with the dogs while you and Seokjin talk."

     "This discussion is not over." Yeolgwi stood, "If you're not present at the ball this weekend, you are going to have some very pissed off vampires up your ass."

     "Jesus Christ, why can't you just let me go?" Yoongi walked over to the window, upset, he stood there with his hands on his hips contemplating his whole existence. He turned to his father, staring him down. "I don't want anything to do with this world."

     "How dare you forget your roots." Yeolgwi was beside himself. "I have given them enough excuses to your being absent, the council does not approve of your dismal attempts to be a part of the coven. You are a vampire royal, you need to act like it."

    Yoongi ran his hand through his hair, the mention of all this royal bullshit made him agitated, "What can they possibly do?"

     "You need to be at this ball. I cannot give any more excuses." Yeolgwi sat back down, looking pleased with himself.

     "Fine, then I'm bringing a date." Yoongi leaned against the wall, his father looked at Seokjin. "No, not him. Someone else."

     "I look forward to it." Yeolgwi motioned to the servant to clear the table. "Now, shall we get down to the other business?"

 

     Taehyung, Harley, and Jungkook were in the lab, playing with some curmlings that were in a cage on the counter. Jungkook had become smitten with the runt, he loved the way it chittered when he stroked its fur. He swore one day he'd free this one from the torture of gland milking and make it his pet. He noticed it was looking a tad peakish, "I think he's sick of being cooped up and used for skin cream ingredients."

     "Pumping isn't taxing on their bodies, in fact if you don't do it, they tend to blow up." Taehyung pointed out, smiling at the horrified face that Harley made, "Not that kind of blow up..their hindquarters get fat."

     A spark shot up from the lab table and they all peered over at Hoseok, who was sitting there dissecting a rather ugly looking toad, mumbling about innards.

     "Let's not burn down the lab, huh?" Taehyung joked. 

     Yoongi threw open the door and tromped into the lab, Taehyung looked up as the older stopped right in front of him. He knew right away, by the scowl he was wearing, that Yoongi was on edge.

      "I need you." Yoongi grabbed Taehyung's wrist and pulled him towards the door. Taehyung looked back at Jungkook, dumbstruck, wondering what the hell was going on.

      "Woh, wait." Taehyung stopped, pulling his wrist free. "Where are you taking me?"

     "I need to blow off steam-"

     "I'm not going to be your piece of ass." Taehyung was putting his foot down, he was not going to be taken advantage of when Yoongi was in a bad mood and be ignored the rest of the time.

     Yoongi turned towards him, he was in disbelief, he smirked, looking at Taehyung. "You're not going to be my booty call, huh?"

     "No." Taehyung was adamant.

     "So you think I want to take you upstairs and fuck you?" Yoongi's ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek, finding this very amusing.

     "I'm not in the mood for that." 

     Yoongi snickered. "I wasn't even thinking about that, although I wouldn't be opposed to it."

     "Oh," Taehyung blushed, "Then what-"

     Yoongi grabbed his wrist again, "Just shut up and come on."

     Taehyung and Yoongi left as Seokjin walked in, Jungkook's heart skipped a beat, smiling as Seokjin walked over and wrapped his arms around him. Harley turned away, concentrating extra hard on the curmling cage.

     "How did it go?" Jungkook asked.

     Seokjin kissed him, grabbing his cheek with his one hand, not saying a word as he pulled away to look at the younger. "I missed you."

     Jungkook was surprised, what had come over the elder? "Are you okay?"

     "Yeah." Seokjin rested his forehead against Jungkook's and closed his eyes. Hoseok and Harley exchanged glances.

     "Do you want to go for a walk?" Jungkook asked, backing up. He hoped that Seokjin wasn't going to suddenly throw some bad news at him.

     "Yeah." Seokjin answered. Jungkook handed the curmling he had been playing with to Harley and turned to Seokjin, "Let's go.".

     Harley glanced towards the door as they left, then at Hoseok. "Guess it's just us now." She half-smiled, sticking the critter back in his cage. "Need help?"

     He held out a clamp to her, "Ever been inside a toad?"

     She grabbed it and stood next to him, _what a strange question_. "Can't say that I have." 

     "Wanna see something cool?" Hoseok looked up at her, securing a pair of goggles over his eyes. She nodded. He concentrated back on the lab table, leaning over to a machine that was to his right, turning it on.

     A jolt of electricity flowed through the toad and its heart began to beat, lasting for a good five seconds before stopping again.

     "What the hell?" Harley backed up expecting this was the beginning of the frog-acolypse.

     "Don't worry, he's still dead," Hoseok smirked as he turned the machine off. "Working on reanimating the dead without the use of magic."

     "Is that safe?" Harley moved back to look down at the toad.

     "I've been injecting its brain with stem cells." Hoseok replaced the goggles atop his head.

     "For what reason?"

     "Imagine being able to bring things to life, fight battles for you, diversions." Hoseok had a gleam in his eye. "So many things."

     "Why not just use live things?"

     "Wouldn't you rather not lose your loved ones?"

     "You have a point." She smiled, "This is pretty impressive."

     He grinned, flipping the machine again. A jolt streamed through it and the amphibian's little heart burst...and then the toad caught on fire. Harley screamed as Hoseok grabbed a towel and threw it over the now charred animal. He closed his eyes. "Yup. Still have some stuff to figure out."

     Harley laughed as she fanned away the smoke, the smell of fried toad guts wafting through the air made both of them gag.

 

     The stream at the very back of the property wasn't a very popular place amongst the pack, It was rumored to be where pack members, before Namjoon came in, had dumped their victims, but no one talked about that. Several hikers had also somehow ended up floating in its blackened waters, no explanation to how they got there. Of course, it fueled a fire that some man-eating fish lived there, but no one had ever seen such a thing.

     "Next weekend, we're going to a ball," Seokjin remarked as he skipped a large rock along the water.

     "Like a dance?" Jungkook looked at him, questioning.

     "Yeah, so you need a tux." Seokjin handed him a rock and watched as he skipped it, the younger seemed hesitant of the request. "Yoongi's father is throwing a ball, it happens once every ten years and it's a big deal amongst the vampire covens."

     "I don't know how to slow dance," Jungkook informed him.

     "There's not much dancing at these things."   Seokjin planted himself on the grass. "Just follow my lead, you'll be fine."

     "It smells like death out here." Jungkook sat down beside him, pinching his nose close. 

     Seokjin grinned. 

     "How did things go for Yoongi today?" Jungkook didn't really care how it went, but felt like he should at least make an effort to ask.

     "He killed his step-mother to be, dropped her like a sack of potatoes."

     Jungkook laughed until he realized Seokjin was being serious. "What? Why?"

     "If there is one thing you ever need to know about Yoongi, is that you never..ever, insult his mother." Seokjin laid back, looking up at the twinkling stars, it was such a clear night.

     "Mama's boy?" Jungkook snickered as he laid back too.

     "Something like that." Seokjin reached over and grabbed Jungkook's hand, intertwining their fingers together. _Perfect fit_. Jungkook glanced over at him and smiled, turning his gaze back to the night sky.

     "Taehyung and Hoseok figured out something about the creature." Jungkook noticed that there were quite a few shooting stars gliding across the sky.

      "What's that?"

     "They think Cato had control of it, and that's why it didn't eat you."

      "So something good came from this power drain," Seokjin commented, ignoring Jungkook's frown. "Kookie?"

     "Yeah?"

     "I love you." Seokjin looked over at him. Jungkook rested his eyes upon Seokjin's.

     "I love you too."

     "I promise that no matter what happens, that will never change." He squeezed the younger's hand.

     Jungkook rolled over and laid his head on the elder's chest, breathing him in, Seokjin's scent always managed to calm him and make him feel safe.

 

     Yoongi passed the basketball to Taehyung who shot and missed. The park was deserted, not a soul in sight. Yoongi preferred it this way, less people to distract him. He watched as Taehyung retrieved the ball from the grass, enjoying the cool breeze as it blew through his hair. Taehyung threw him the ball and he shot, sinking it in the basket.

     "So what happened?" Taehyung caught the ball and threw it back to him.

     "Do you own a tux?" Yoongi nailed his second shot.

     "Yeah, I think it still fits." He suddenly remembered the last time he wore a tux, his father had to tie his bowtie because for some reason he couldn't figure out the 'complicated' looping and tying. He bounced the ball to Yoongi.

     "How do you feel about balls?" Yoongi asked, realizing what he just said, they both laughed. "Dances."

     "I had to take ballroom dancing when I was fifteen, never had a reason to use it." Taehyung smirked.

     Yoongi aimed, shot and watched as it swooshed in the net. "My dad is is a complete bastard, but I need a date." He snatched the ball from Taehyung, dribbling around him. "You're the most impressive person I know."

     Taehyung couldn't help the smile that spread across his mouth. "Are you asking me on a date then?" 

     Yoongi stopped, dribbling in place, staring at him. "I guess I am."

     Taehyung stole the ball and shot, missing again. "God damn it."

     Yoongi grinned as Taehyung grabbed the ball from the grass again. "Basketball skills aside, I like hanging with you."

     Taehyung looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Well, then I accept." He dribbled the ball past Yoongi and stopped. "Do I get a corsage too, _sweetie_?" He kidded.

     Yoongi stole the ball and lobbed it up and over, making yet another basket. "I'll give you a whole god-damned bouquet if you never say that again."


	40. The Evil Within

     Tux shopping was annoying, Jungkook just wanted to pick all the pieces of clothing he needed off a rack and go home. He hated having to be measured - just the jacket types alone were a headache; full or tails, black or white, notched or shawl lapel, double or single breasted...and he still had to find socks and shoes and pick out a color for his bowtie. No, hate wasn't a strong enough word, he _despised_ shopping... It didn't help that Seokjin convinced Taehyung to go with him, which wouldn't be too terrible if not for the fact that Taehyung had been bouncing off the walls all morning, in cloud nine over the fact that Yoongi had actually asked him to be his date to this ball. Taehyung was finding it hard to concentrate, twice fitting a top hat over Jungkook's head, telling him it would really complete the ensemble.

     "You should go with the dark red bowtie and cummerbund, it's a good color for you." Taehyung commented, spinning the rack of ties, almost knocking it over.

     "Cummer what?" Jungkook gazed at him like he had three heads, Taehyung laughed.

     "Cummerbund, the thing that goes around your midsection." Taehyung grabbed a deep red bowtie and threw it to him, "Hold it up to your neck."

     Jungkook held up the burgundy bowtie to his neck and looked in the mirror. "Okay, fair enough. Where the hell is that guy with my tux?"

     "You should go track him down and give him the bowtie, I'm going next door to get a milkshake, you want one?"

     Jungkook nodded, "Yeah, sure."

     Taehyung left the store and Jungkook searched around for the tailor. He stopped when he noticed a hooded figure standing in the middle of the sidewalk outside, watching him through the window. Jungkook was a bit freaked out, he stood there a good thirty seconds just staring at him.

     "Have you picked out your color?" The tailor appeared in front of Jungkook, startling him.

     "I think I'll go with the red." Jungkook held up the bowtie then turned his attention back to the window, the figure was gone. "Did you see that guy in the window?" Jungkook asked and the tailor looked towards the window and shook his head no.

     "Red is a very good choice." The tailor remarked, taking the bowtie from him. "Your tuxedo will be ready in about an hour."

 

     Jungkook stepped out of the tux shop and glanced both ways down the road, the street was practically deserted, all he saw was an old lady wearing a bright orange peacoat window shopping and several teenagers on skateboards doing kickflips off the curb. No hooded figure. Gah,  _I'm going_ _crazy from_ _all this shopping._

     "I didn't know if you wanted whipped cream or not, so I said no." Taehyung joined him, handing him a chocolate milkshake.

     Jungkook took a sip of the beverage, "Yeah, it's fine."

     "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Taehyung lapped up some of the whipped cream off the top of his drink.

     "It's nothing, you ready to help me find shoes now?" Jungkook frowned.

     Taehyung nodded and they walked towards the car.

 

     Yoongi and Seokjin were standing in the middle of the side yard taking turns hitting a target with a bow and arrow. Yoongi insisted he would make a better archer than Seokjin if they were alive during the medieval times and somehow they ended up out on the lawn, shooting at a target 100 meters away. Seokjin was killing time until they had to meet with the lawyer at Cato's estate, so this was a good distraction.

     "You're gonna lose, you suck at this." Seokjin tried to psyche him out, but Yoongi's concentration was on point, a tornado could touch down next to him and he wouldn't bat an eyelash.Yoongi was 200% focused on nailing the red circle in the middle.

     "That was a sad attempt, Seokjin. I expected better from you than that." Yoongi shot and it came within inches of the bullseye. He smirked and handed the bow over to Seokjin. "Good luck."

      "Shit, I think you got me." Seokjin feigned a gasp as he lined up his sight. "I am almost ready to bow to your greatness."

     Yoongi laughed. Seokjin shot and landed right next to Yoongi, the same distance to the middle. Yoongi was impressed for a moment.

     "I have to hand it to you, your aspiration to be the exact same as me brings tears to my eyes. Really." Yoongi took the bow, grabbing another arrow from the quiver lying on the grass. Seokjin watched as Taehyung's car came up the driveway and he pulled to a stop.

      "One hundred dollars says I can get bullseye on the next shot." Seokjin held out his hand for the bow, eyes glued to Jungkook as he exited the car.

       "Trying hard to impress bunny boy, huh?" Yoongi smiled, looking back as Jungkook and Taehyung were heading over. "Okay, but I don't want your money. If you miss, you need to tell my father that you're not selling him that property he wants."

     "Why are you so against it?" Seokjin asked, taking the bow as Yoongi held it out.

     "I have my reasons." Yoongi backed up, giving Seokjin room.

     "Deal." Seokjin turned to the target, sticking the arrow in the rest and taking aim.

     "What did we miss?" Taehyung asked as he and Jungkook joined them.

      "The fate of the world as we know it." Yoongi smiled as he leaned over and whispered in Jungkook's ear. Jungkook looked at him, stunned. Yoongi motioned for him to go towards Seokjin. Jungkook hesitated for a second and then walked over to the elder.

     Just as Seokjin was shooting, Jungkook leaned in and whispered, "I wanna take you upstairs and fuck the shit out of you." 

     Seokjin shot the arrow diagonally up to the sky, completely missing the target and scaring the shit out of a flock of geese that were resting in the field to the right, as it landed. Yoongi laughed out.

     "You son of a bitch, you planned that." Seokjin whined. Jungkook laughed too.

     "Ah man, sorry." Jungkook apologized and Seokjin grabbed him by the back of the head, pulling him into a kiss.

     "I hope at least you're going to make good on your comment?" Seokjin's naughty grin made Yoongi gag.

     "Aghh stop the mushy shit, Jesus." Yoongi grimaced, taking the bow from Seokjin and placing it back in its case.

 

     Upstairs in Hoseok's room, Jimin was attempting to remove the blanket from Hoseok's bed when he opened his left eye, questioning what the pesky ghost was up to now.

     "Jimin, you touch it and I freeze you in this spot for the whole day." Hoseok yanked his blanket back and pulled it up over his head.

     "Namjoon wants you in the lab." Jimin floated up to the ceiling, turning the light of the fan on and off numerous times, the pull chord sound began to get on Hoseok's nerves, he threw back the covers and sat up.

     "I just want to sleep in, just one day." He protested, hanging his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes.

     "I wish I could sleep in, I never sleep." Jimin moaned, "Be fucking happy you _can_ sleep."

     "I can banish you to the other world if you're so unhappy." Hoseok stood, grabbing his shirt and slipping it on. "Damned peeving poltergeist."

     "Crotchety, doddering witch." Jimin floated through the ceiling, leaving Hoseok to curse at the empty room.

 

     Seokjin and Harley watched as the lawyer pulled up in front of the castle in a rather expensive foreign, black car. When he slid out of the black leather seat, he was dressed head to toe in Armani, a gold Rolex adorning his wrist, and there were several gem heavy rings on his fingers, Harley saw many of the type associating with Cato often. He introduced himself as Luhan as he shook both their hands, Harley noted how delicate his handshake was. He handed them both an envelope and the keys to a home.

     "Address is on page one, I'll meet you there." Luhan bowed his head and then got back into his car.

     "He doesn't look old enough to be a lawyer." Harley watched as drove down the driveway.

     "I'm gonna go get Yoongi and Jungkook." Seokjin handed her the car keys, "Start it up for me."

     Harley smiled widely like he had just told her she could pick out all the candy she wanted from the candy store, bouncing off on her way to the car. Yoongi walked outside.

     "He come yet?" Yoongi asked, joining Seokjin.

     Seokjin handed him the folder, "Gonna meet him there, seen Jungkook?"

     "He's in the kitchen with Taehyung I think." Yoongi peeked in the folder as he headed over to Seokjin's car.

     Seokjin skipped the steps, reaching for the door handle the same time as Jungkook opened it from the other side. "Woh, good timing, you ready?"

     Jungkook nodded, shutting the door behind him. "I really hope this house is not a trap or something."

     "Are you okay with Yoongi coming?" Seokjin asked taking Jungkook's hand in his own.

     "Yeah, it's fine." Jungkook smiled, really happy that Seokjin had asked his opinion. "What if being at his place triggers something in you?"

     "I give you permission to subdue me," Seokjin smirked, giving him a quick peck. "Any way you need to."

     "You are a kinky shit." Jungkook grinned.

     They walked to the car and got in, pulling out and down the driveway. Harley glared out the back window as the castle disappeared from sight.

 

     Luhan was leaning against his car, thumbing through a folder when they pulled up. Checking his watch, he threw the folder through his open window and walked up the stairs to the estate to the front door and stuck the key in the lock.

     "This is..." Jungkook gawked up at the house as he shut the car door, at a sudden loss for words. It was at least three stories tall, with a small attic window at the top making up a fourth story. He glanced over at Seokjin, whose mouth was wide open, in awe. 

     "This is the most sinister looking house I have ever seen." Yoongi shut his car door, glaring up at it. 

     "Do we have to go in?" Harley didn't bother to get out of the car, instead, she hung her head out the window.

     "Yeah." Seokjin walked up the stone steps that lead to the walkway. The whole house was made of bricks except for the wooden columns that lined the small front porch. Seven arched windows took up the second-floor facade- it gave off a haunted aura but was so ethereal at the same time. Enormous black shuttered windows were the only thing on the third floor, two on each side, surrounded by a small ledge that wrapped around the house. Seokjin had a sudden flashback of himself when he was three years old, climbing out on that ledge and staring out at the grounds like he was the king of the world.

     "I'll just wait here." Harley decided, whipping out her phone to keep herself busy for the next half hour.

     Seokjin turned around looked out at the grounds, the view was the same as in his flashback. "I've been here before."

     "You have?" Jungkook asked, staring at the back of his head.

     In his flashback, he had looked down at the ground and saw his grandfather standing in the same place he was now. Cato was just smiling, like he knew something great was about to happen. Seokjin felt a shiver run down his spine, he was reliving a memory that he didn't like. He walked ahead to join Luhan in the foyer of the house. It was like stepping into the past, his past. None of this made sense, he was hidden away from his grandfather, kept sheltered from the life he was bred for, so how could he have been here? He remembered the grand staircase that lead up to the second floor, overlooking the entry, the dark mahogany half panels that lined the walls, the arched doorways, the marbled floor, the Victorian style accents over each window, it was all like he had just seen it yesterday.

     "It has 16 bedrooms." Luhan marveled. 

     "I know," Seokjin answered, wishing he didn't. He ran up the stairs, to the third door down the hallway to the right, where 'his' bedroom was. He opened the door and stood in the doorway for a good while before walking in. In the middle of the room was a canopy bed, long veiled curtains covered the mattress, slightly flowing from the breeze coming through the open window. He remembered the maid had yelled at him to stop jumping on the bed and he had bitten her so hard she had lost her arm.

     "What the hell?"  Seokjin stopped in front of the dresser, reaching out to pick up a picture of himself with his dad that was mixed in with several books and toys, the broken frame to the right of it looked like someone had heaved it against the wall in a fit of anger.

     "What's going on?" Yoongi walked into the room and stopped.

     Seokjin held up the picture. "I was like three here."

     Yoongi walked over and took the picture. "How is this here?"

     "I don't know," Seokjin was overwhelmed, he felt dizzy. He thought at first he might be reliving some of Cato's memories, but he knew these were his own. He shouldn't have these, how did this happen?

     "Are you okay?" Yoongi put his hand on Seokjin's shoulder.

     "I'm freaked out." Seokjin blinked a few times, shaking his head, he looked at Yoongi, "Don't tell Jungkook, I don't want to worry him."

     Yoongi nodded. "What about me, you're worrying me."

     "I remember everything about this house, I spent a lot of time here..." Seokjin leaned against the dresser, dismayed.

     "Are you sure this wasn't something in his head?" Yoongi looked around the room, "It could be a trick."

     Seokjin shook his head, he was breaking out in a cold sweat. "Outside the window is the backyard where my swingset was, the slide is cracked because Eric slammed me against it when I won tag. Cato never knew it broke."

     Yoongi walked over and looked out the window, the slide was cracked just as Seokjin described, "Eric was here too?"

     "Yeah."

 

     Jungkook was gazing at the giant portrait of Cato and his wife Misae that sat in the living room above the marble fireplace. It was beyond creepy, but Jungkook couldn't seem to look away, it was almost as if the portrait was trying to tell him something. 

     "Fatal Beauty," Luhan came up beside him, staring up at the picture, cringing. "They were a frightening pair."

     "Did Cato spend much time here?" Jungkook asked, not taking his eyes off of Misae. He moved his head side to side and her eyes seem to follow.

     "He hadn't been here for at least ten years," Luhan looked at Jungkook. "There was a groundskeeper looking after it"

     "Where is the groundskeeper now?" Yoongi asked from the doorway.

     "Found dead two days ago, heart attack they think," Luhan answered, turning to walk from the room, shaken. "This room makes me feel ill."

     Yoongi watched as Luhan strolled past him to go back to the foyer then looked over at Jungkook. "Don't stare at it too long."

     "Why not?"

     "Bad karma." Yoongi looked up at it, he understood why Luhan had been rattled, it was very foreboding.

     "Where's Seokjin?" Jungkook asked, tearing himself away from the portrait, looking over at Yoongi.

     "Cellar."

 

     The cellar was filled wall to wall with racks upon racks of wine, the whole room reeked of fermented grapes. Seokjin slid a bottle off the rack, reading the label - it was a vintage 1934 Vieux Cepage, one of the rarest wines in the world. Seokjin was taught about rare wines from Yoongi's father, a lesson he didn't really ask for, but he figured knowledge is never a bad thing, so he had listened intently.

     "Of course." Seokjin snorted, he was sure that his grandfather thought this to be quite the treasure since he was all about the show, expensive material possessions were probably rampant throughout the house.

     "This place is creepy." Jungkook joined him, looking down at the bottle in the elder's hands. "Pop it open?"

     Seokjin glared at him, "This bottle of wine is like 50 thousand dollars."

     Jungkook took it from him and stared at it for a moment. "Should be good then, yeah?" Jungkook glided his claw through the paper and down into the cork, the popping sound echoed through the room as he pulled it from the bottle. He took a long swig, then offered it to Seokjin. Seokjin smiled as he took it and gulped some down.

     "Tastes like shit." Seokjin handed the bottle back to Jungkook and traipsed around the three rows of racks. There was an out of place door just sitting in the middle of the wall, a fat rounded white door with chipped paint.

     "It's not the worst ever." Jungkook took another swig and then threw the bottle down, it shattered when it hit the floor, making a terrible racket. The remaining wine pooled into a dark red puddle, staining the wooden floor. He smiled, wiping his chin off, he walked around the rack and stopped next to Seokjin.

     "Seokjin?" Jungkook ran his hand in front of Seokjin's face, the elder was just staring as if in a trance. "Seokjin?"

     "Misae did magic here." Seokjin took in a large breath and grabbed his chest, as if in pain. Jungkook looked at the door, he felt it too. "A lot of death happened in there."

     "My mom was here-" Jungkook let out a gasp as Yoongi grabbed ahold of their shirts and dragged them away from the door and towards the stairs. 

     "You guys have been staring at that door for like ten minutes." Yoongi alerted them and they looked at each other, confused. "We need to go back upstairs, there is some weird juju down here."

 

     Harley was still sitting in the car, scrolling through the music on her phone, she glanced up at the house and noticed a black shadowy figure lingering in the attic window, she did a double take, convinced she was hallucinating. She rolled down her window and blinked several times, not sure if she was trying to see it better or wish it away. It didn't go away.

     Suddenly, the shadow floated through the window and flew down towards her like a hawk swooping in for its prey, she ducked down and screamed, closing her eyes and covering her face. The car shook violently for a good fifteen seconds then stopped. She opened her eyes and looked around, quickly rolling the window back up and locking the door. She checked the front seat to make sure there was nothing was up there, relieved it was empty. _Oh god, I'm going to die._

     She picked her phone up off the floor and texted Jungkook: **I want to go home. Now.**  She had a weird feeling like she was being watched and peered out the window, nothing but trees swaying in the breeze. Her phone beeped and she jumped, looking down at it.

 **What's wrong?** Jungkook texted back.

 **Something flew out of the attic and attacked me, I'm scared, Please can we go now?** She texted back, peeking out the window.

 

     Luhan was standing by the front door, sweating profusely. He loosened his tie, eyeing his car, he was considering going outside to wait, but didn't want to come off unprofessional. Yoongi marched back into the room, followed by Jungkook and Seokjin.

     "I think we should go." Luhan wiped the sweat from his brow. "We can talk business back at my office."

     "Yeah, that's fine." Seokjin ushered Jungkook out the door and towards the car. Yoongi tried to open the door but it was locked, he tapped the window with his knuckles and Harley leaned over and unlocked the doors then backed up, sliding over so Jungkook could get in. Seokjin looked back up at the house, everything about this place was wrong, but something inside called to him, he needed to find out how he was connected to it.

     "Seokjin, please, we need to go," Harley called out to him and he snapped out of his trance.

     "Yeah," He climbed into the car.

 

     Namjoon had summoned Jungkook and Yoongi to his office shortly after they got home, since Seokjin went to town for bike parts, it was the perfect opportunity to talk to them about what happened with the council earlier that day. He had news and needed their opinion on how to proceed. The moment they walked into the room, the somber atmosphere made them both stop, Namjoon's face was enough to tell them both, something bad was going to happen.

     "Have a seat." Namjoon looked at the chairs in front of his desk, they both glanced at each other and then went to sit, looking at Namjoon.

     "What's going on?" Yoongi spoke first.

     Namjoon took a pronounced breath and looked down. "I'm not supposed to have this information, but Dagma has a soft spot for me." He stood and walked over to the window. "I needed to find out what she meant by 'Seokjin's fate cannot be changed', she knew he was alive when she came down the morning after the battle."

     Jungkook looked at Yoongi and then to Namjoon, "What did she tell you?"

     "Cato's plan B was to drain Seokjin of his power and kill you, so he could carry out his sinister plans." Namjoon took a deep breath, "She seems to think Cato actually did know you would take my power, that's why he was so gung-ho for Seokjin to kill Jacker. You taking my power took away one of his biggest obstacles."

     "We got played-" Yoongi scoffed.

     "She thinks he saw it in a vision when he killed Misae."

     "What was his plan A?" Jungkook asked, worried.

     "To transfer his power, become stronger...and younger, to take over Seokjin."

     "What do you mean 'take over'?" Yoongi stood.

     "Become him, be the dominant part, live through him. Apparently, there were two outcomes in this vision, whichever he chose would decide the future, Seokjin's future."

     "Are you saying that if Seokjin doesn't figure out how to drown out Cato, that he will become him?" Jungkook shook his head, "How?"

     "The more Seokjin taps into that evil part of him, the stronger Cato becomes." Namjoon turned to them, "Dagma saw the vision when she saw you Jungkook. I don't know how."

     "My mother told me that Misae helped create me, that she gave me powers, but my mom didn't know what kind of powers," Jungkook remembered.

     "I already know your moods manipulate the weather." Namjoon smirked, pondering. "I have an idea."

     "What?" Jungkook had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.

     "I want Hoseok to read your mind."

     "What are you going to tell Seokjin?" Yoongi knew he wouldn't be able to tell his best friend any of this.

     "We can't tell him anything, not yet. Not when he hasn't learned to control the bad thoughts." Namjoon insisted.

     "I can't lie to him, he knows when something is up with me."

     "You can when you try, Noni told me how well you could block out things from her." Namjoon walked over to Jungkook and sat on the edge of his desk in front of the younger. "If the part of Cato that is inside of him finds out that we know, we could lose Seokjin forever."

     "Isn't he going to realize something is up when Hoseok reads Jungkook?" Yoongi asked.

     "I have an errand to send him on, we can do this tomorrow morning." Namjoon stood, "One thing is for certain, we need to keep Seokjin away from Cato's house for now."

     Jungkook nodded, "There is something evil in that house."

 

     Jungkook sat on his windowsill studying the moon, it was nearly full again. He opened the window to get a fresh breeze, taking in a deep breath. His mind wandering to the portrait in Cato's living room, something about Misae's eyes stayed in his mind. He felt like she was trying to tell him something, but what?  He really hoped that Hoseok could find that out tomorrow, that some clue lingered in his memories. He glanced at his phone, it was nearing 11 pm and he hadn't seen Seokjin since they got back. He wondered where the elder could be, he knew he couldn't still be out getting bike parts. He looked over at the tux hanging on his closet door, the ball was in four days, he needed to remind Seokjin to give him some dance lessons tomorrow.

     An owl hooted in the distance, Seokjin turned his head to look up at the trees, seeing the moon just above. He hadn't remembered pulling up in front of Cato's estate or how he even got there, the whole ride was a blur, but his motorcycle was behind him and his helmet in his hand. He set the helmet down and turned back to the old brick house. It was completely dark, except for the light of the moon shining down illuminating the house and walkway just enough to see. He walked up the steps and was about to put the key in the lock when his phone vibrated in his pocket, he shook his head, blinking. He reached down into his pocket and pulled it out. Jungkook's name popped up on his screen, with a short text message:  **Where are you?**

  Seokjin looked around, wondering what the hell he was doing. **I'll be upstairs in a few minutes, just taking a walk**. He texted back and pocketed the phone. He glared at the key in his hand a moment before pocketing it, he didn't want to worry the younger, he knew he shouldn't be here. He hurried down the steps to the motorcycle and threw on the helmet then started the bike up.

     Seokjin peeled out of there as fast as he could, leaving behind deep skid marks in the gravel. He glanced in his rearview mirror, noticing an eerie yellow glow coming from the attic window, it made him turn his head to stare back at the house, alarmed. A black shadowy figure stood in the glow staring back at him, beckoning him to turn around. _Don't go back, go to Jungkook now. Don't go back._ He kept repeating in his mind. _Just go to Jungkook._


	41. The Past Comes Back

    

     The next morning came quick, Jungkook paced in front of his bedroom window, glancing out to watch as Seokjin climbed into his car, coming back a second pass to observe him pulling out of the front gate. The clock on his nightstand read eight-thirty, just thirty minutes until he was to go down and see Hoseok. He was so nervous that his palms were sweating and he kept having to wipe them off on his pants.

     Hoseok turned on the light in the lab as he entered. _What a mess!_ He shook his head as he walked over to the table to clear his experiments off, setting everything on the counter. He needed to pin a sticky note on the door to remind himself to clean up once in awhile.

     "Morning," Taehyung walked in taking the last bite of his apple and tossing the core into the trash receptacle.

     "I have the balm ready, excreted the final gland last night," Hoseok mentioned, holding up a vial of putrid green liquid.

     "If this turns our skin green, I am going to hurt you," Taehyung smirked. He turned to help Hoseok transfer the mess from one surface to the other, wondering what the hell all this shit was exactly.

     "Well, it wouldn't be the first time I was green." Hoseok wiped down the table with a cloth, rubbing extra hard over a caked-on spot of frog guts.

     "Do I dare ask?" Taehyung asked, flicking a piece of dangling entrails off the side of the table.

     "Same voodoo witch doctor." Hoseok smiled, looking up at the corner of the wall, daydreaming. "She often turned me into a frog if I pissed her off."

     "This woman sounds like a great time." Taehyung rolled his eyes.

     "She was a tyrant, but she taught me a lot," Hoseok spoke fondly. "She reminded me of my mother. Now that was a scary woman."

      Taehyung shook his head, smiling. Namjoon walked in followed by Jungkook. The younger looked on edge, like he was about to turn tail and run.

     "You look worried." Hoseok noticed Jungkook's expression, he just nodded at Hoseok. "Don't worry, I've only killed one person doing this."

     Jungkook looked as if his eyes were about to pop out of his head. "What?"

     "I kid, lay down on the table." Hoseok motioned towards the surface.

     "Wait, are you serious?" Jungkook gasped.

    "No, this isn't mentis bellum, you'll be fine, relax."

     "Not funny." Jungkook walked to the table, hesitant. He looked over at Namjoon who just gave him a nod, then he climbed up onto the table and laid down, Hoseok put a pillow under his head and Jungkook adjusted it. The steel was cold beneath his back, even through his hoody. "Would it kill you to get cushions for this thing?"

     "Supernatural creatures and padded foam don't make good friends," Taehyung answered, sitting up on the counter.

     "Just relax, don't fight it or it will hurt." Hoseok put his hand on Jungkook's shoulder and Jungkook nodded, taking a deep breath. "Close your eyes."

     "Be gentle." Jungkook half-smiled, closing his eyes.

     Hoseok rubbed his hand together and cracked his neck, he positioned his hand over Jungkook's eyes and then closed his own. Jungkook squirmed a bit at the sensation that overcame him.

     "Hold still." Hoseok scolded him and he stopped moving.

     Jungkook felt like he was traveling through a tunnel, everything black except for one narrow patch of light in the distance. His whole consciousness was being launched forward in fast motion, small pictures of his life zoomed past his sights in quick succession. The experience lasted a few minutes before he drifted off into a light sleep. Hoseok was now in Jungkook's brain, about to relive the younger's memories. 

     "I'm in," Hoseok announced, taking a deep breath.

     Traveling through someone's consciousness was like a bunch of small flashbacks popping off all at once, most of them not making much sense to the person doing the reading. Strong memories could be passed down through DNA, memories that had a huge impact on the parents or grandparents, especially deaths and births. Reading someone was considered an elite skill, it took a lot of training to be able to distinguish a true memory from a passed on memory, plus, you had to know exactly where to go and how far back. The whole process could be dangerous if one wasn't properly trained, the worst case scenario being mind fusion - where two people are stuck in one brain and neither can get out - like a permanent coma. It was not something to casually dabble in.

 

     Hoseok found himself in a room, it was small and covered with 'dark witchy things' as he called them, totems and spell books laid upon tables, candles were lit all around the room and incantations were written on the walls in a dark red paint (or blood, he couldn't tell). A giant pentagram was drawn on the wall in black acrylic surrounded by names of spells in Latin. There were carcasses of dead animals hanging from the ceiling and a rather large dragon skull surrounded by black roses on a pedestal against the far wall.

     Misae stood in front of a raised circular slab that sat smack dab in the middle of the room. Upon the slab was Nari, wearing a white, flowing nightgown that swayed slightly from some invisible wind Hoseok couldn't feel. Her feet were propped up in stirrups like she was on an examining table at a doctor's office. A fragrant mixture of poppy seeds, apple blossom, and rose petals was emanating from three cast iron smudging bowls situated on a small ledge attached to the pedestal below the slab. Herbs were burned in conjunction with spells, these specific ones were used for fertility. The smell was quite overpowering, the aroma burned his nose hairs making him want to sneeze.

     Misae squirted a blueish gel onto her hand from a rather strange leather sack that looked a lot like a piping bag, she rubbed it on Nari's stomach in a cross shape as she chanted the words, "Quo Tincta".

     "Quo Tincta," Hoseok said aloud and Namjoon and Taehyung exchanged glances.

     "Pregnant?" Namjoon whispered.

     "Impregnate, I think," Taehyung answered in a low voice.

 

    Hoseok moved around the slab to stand behind Misae, watching as she placed her hand above Nari's pelvis, moving it in a circular motion as she began to chant;

     " _Flames of passion, burn_ _bright_ _upon this barren place,_

_bring forth a life to carry on,_

_this womb lay empty needs embrace,_

_the addition of a newborn son._ "

     " _A strong physique to fight for peace,_

_counters the evil master,_

_Purest of heart opposing grief,_

_to overcome the caster,_

_Take upon fraternal power,_

_his heart blue with wonder,_

_his iron will shall never sour,_

_or his mindset_ _go_ _asunder._ "

     She then sang in a low throaty voice that reminded Hoseok of a monk singing a nighttime prayer... three words that somehow echoed off the walls despite them being in a tiny room with no acoustics... "Tempestas. Pura. Viribus."

     "Weather. Pure. Strength." Hoseok repeated back in English.         

     Misae walked around Nari's body several more times, each pass marking the skin on her arms and legs with tiny crosses using the blue gel, repeating the words, "Tempestas. Pura. Viribus."

     A bright blue light filled the room, pulsating against the walls like a beating heart, bringing a sense of calm to the atmosphere...the sound of a strong wind howled around them as the light fizzled out, taking with it the lit candles that had given off a soft glow throughout the ceremony. All that was left was light from the luminescent ruby eye set in the dragon skull behind them. It looked like the devil's death chamber with its eery blood red color filling up the tiny space. This wasn't a typical fertility spell, everything about this had an essence of dark magic weaved within.

     Misae leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Go home and make love to your husband now." She smiled as she helped Nari to sit up.

 

     Hoseok was brought to an empty motel parking lot, Nari was parked at the far end sitting inside her car, a scarf covered her head, it was if she was hiding her face. The rain was beating against the window as the wiper blades cleaned it away in a poetic pattern of pitter patters and mechanical whizzing. She was still wearing the same nightgown now slightly damp, it clung to her skin revealing her naked body underneath. She took a deep breath and turned off the ignition and then exited the car, parading up to the motel door before she lost her nerve. The number 7 was upside down and shook sideways as she knocked on the door. She glanced up at the blinking motel sign just overhead to her left. A short-circuiting 'Vacancy' flashed on and off.

     The door opened and Namjoon stood before her, clad only in a fuzzy white bathrobe. He opened the door wider for her to walk in and then peered outside to make sure no one was watching. Closing the door, he turned to her. "What are you doing here?"

     "I wasn't sure you'd meet me this late-"

     Namjoon made his way over to the mini-fridge and grabbed a glass from atop. He poured himself some gin, slamming back the liquid, "For what do I owe the pleasure of a visit?"

     She took a deep breath, almost losing her will to speak. "I saw Misae, it's done."

     "Still doesn't explain why you're here." Namjoon leaned against the dresser, swirling the alcohol around in the cup.

     "He's just a human, Namjoon. You're a demigod, better even." Nari went to him and grabbed the glass from him, setting it down on the dresser, she wrapped her arms around his midsection.  It was obvious to Hoseok witnessing this, that the two of them were involved.

     "Nari-"

     "She said it would be a boy," Nari quieted him with a kiss, grabbing the strings of the bathrobe, untying them.

     "We can't do this." Namjoon pushed her away, closing the bathrobe back up.

     "Joonie?" Nari questioned.

     "Go home to your husband." Namjoon walked over to the door and opened it, not looking at her.

     Nari walked over to the door, stopping to look up at him. "If you can't then I will find someone who will."

     "Do what you have to." Namjoon insisted, "I won't be here for you anymore."

     "I know." Nari leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye, Namjoon."

    

     The scene quickly changed, and the next place Hoseok was taken was outside of a small cabin in the forest. The silhouette of a Nari and a man engaged in a passionate kiss could be seen through the window shade. Nari hadn't gone home...

     The thunder came out of nowhere, the loud clapping overhead made Hoseok jump, he was frightened even though he knew it wasn't real. The flashes of lightning made it unbearable to stand and watch what was going on. He huddled down under the sill, covering his ears to drown out the sound. The world felt like it was spinning, visions were not supposed to have an effect on the reader, he should not be able to feel such sheer terror in his soul.

     "Hoseok?" Namjoon called out, observing how Hoseok's body language had changed, his whole frame became rigid, tensing up like something was causing him great stress. 

Hoseok wanted to scream for it all to stop. _What the hell is happening?!_

 _"_ Loud thunder..."Hoseok choked out. Namjoon and Taehyung exchanged glances, "The lightning...is so bright."

      "End the reading-" Taehyung was about to grab Hoseok's wrist and yank him out himself.

      "No..." Hoseok yelled, determined to get through this odd occurrence. "I've got this."

     Hoseok fought against his thoughts, against the feelings of dread, against the wetness on his forehead from sweating, against the sensation of being pelted with raindrops and the jolt of static electricity that made his hair stand on end. He held steady, reminding himself of happier places. The storm lasted all of five minutes before it suddenly cleared up and the sun began to shine once again through the billowing grey clouds above. He opened his eyes and peered up at the sky, it was morning in the memory and Hoseok could hear the chirping of birds all around him. The cabin door opened and Nari walked out, cradling her stomach in her hands- her stomach was rounded, pushing out against her nightgown as if she was several months pregnant already. He stood, watching her as she climbed into her car and pulled off down the road, out of sight. Hoseok was curious, whoever was inside was the one that impregnated Nari, Jungkook's real father. He walked towards the door, passing through. He could feel the memory pulling away but he needed to see who was in the bedroom, who this man was. He felt a force pulling him backward, the memory was at its end... 

      "Show yourself," Hoseok yelled out, knowing he couldn't be heard. _Who are you?_   Before he could walk another step, Hoseok was yanked away, jolted back through the 'tunnel' to the present time, back to the lab. He opened his eyes, squinting at the light, trying to refocus.

     "What did you see?" Namjoon asked, leaning in close to Hoseok's face.  

     When he finally focused, Hoseok flinched backward, clutching his chest, he peered down at Jungkook. "This wasn't for Misae's vision, you wanted to know who Nari went to that night after she left you."

     Taehyung looked at both of them confused. "What's going on?"

     "Did you see him?" Namjoon asked.

     "No." Hoseok pushed past him and hurried from the room. Namjoon chased after him.

     

     Halfway down the hallway, Namjoon latched on to the sleeve of Hoseok's shirt, pulling back to stop him. "Hoseok-"

     Hoseok pushed him away, angry. "You used me."

     "She never told me who she went to see after she left." Namjoon grabbed both his shoulders, "I need to know."

     "For what?" Hoseok backed away, "Why does that matter?"

     "Jungkook could be harboring some latent powers-"

     "That's not the reason you want to know, don't bullshit me." Hoseok chastised.

     "It's not the only reason, no, but it's the main one." Namjoon took a deep breath, "I have my suspicions on who she went to, and if I'm correct, it will explain a big chunk of the story..and why Jungkook can manipulate the weather with his moods."

     "Why did you say 'no' that night?" Hoseok asked him straight up.

     "I didn't want to be a father." Namjoon had no good reason other than he wasn't ready to have a kid, not then, not now, not ever.

     "How long were you seeing her?" 

     "I dunno, off and on for a long while." Namjoon looked down, saddened. "After that night, it was over."

     "You loved her." Hoseok understood the longing, far away look in Namjoon's eyes all too well.

     "Yes." Namjoon glanced over at the lab door as Taehyung walked out.

     "What the hell is going on?" Taehyung asked, believing he knew, but nonetheless, he wanted to hear Namjoon say it.

     "Jungkook's whole life has been a lie," Hoseok answered, shaking his head. "You going to explain to that kid what the hell you did?"

     "I don't know the whole truth," Namjoon admitted, "That's why I need to know what you saw."

     "How does this all help Seokjin?"

     Namjoon leaned against the wall, "If I'm right, then there's a really good reason why Jungkook and Seokjin were meant to be together." 

     "Why are there so damn many secrets around here, can't you people just get your shit together?"' Taehyung yelled and tramped back into the lab.

 

     Namjoon was sitting at his desk in his office staring out the window, the afternoon sun glistening off the glass gave off a dreamlike aura. Thoughts of Nari and his past ran through his mind, he kept so many secrets for her..and for what? His mistakes were just causing others heartache now. Nari was gone, there was no point in lying to his pack about her anymore...no point in lying to Jungkook.

     Jungkook barged through the door not even bothering to knock. He was angry and disappointed and looked like he wanted to rip Namjoon to shreds.

     "Before you start slamming things around, let me explain." Namjoon stood.

     "You knew my father wasn't my real father and you hid that," Jungkook just stared at him unbelieving, a bitter, little frown on his mouth. "Why?"

     "Your mother's wishes." Namjoon walked around the desk to stand in front of Jungkook.

     "Were you having an affair with her?" Jungkook shook his head, outraged, "Did my father know I wasn't his son?"

     Namjoon nodded, "Yes to both." He looked down, ashamed, "He didn't know about me, though."

     "I'm finding it really hard not to hit you right now." Jungkook had to back away, he walked over to the window, leaning against the pane and resting his head upon his forearm, just staring at the afternoon sun beating down in patches of light on the grass to calm himself.

     "I need to know who your real father is-"

     "Why now?" Jungkook turned to him, seething, "Why is it so important now?"

     "Something Dagma told me-"

     "Do I not deserve to know the truth?"

     "I have to keep a lot of secrets to protect people, Jungkook. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you-"

     "I don't want sorry. I want to know why you need to know now who this man was-"

     "Not a man," Namjoon corrected him, Jungkook's face filled with puzzlement. "I believe it's Tempest, the god of weather, and I believe Misae put it in Nari's mind to go to him that night."

     "Why?"

     "Misae was working both sides, she had to stay loyal to Cato, but she was also working against him because the visions she saw depicted him in power, through Seokjin, and she knew that a lot of people would die needlessly if that happened."

     "But why Tempest?"

     "Legend - Tempest and the onyx god Skotadi are enemies. Skotadi is the nemesis of many of them, the black sheep. He opposes all ideas just for the mere fact that he can."

     "And this has what to do with me?"

     "I think Misae saw that you and Seokjin would have a bond and with the plans that Cato had, she knew that the only person that could help him overcome this was you." Namjoon went back to stand in front of him, "One way or another, whether you help him...or kill him."

     Jungkook felt sick to his stomach, he leaned against the window for support.

     "There is an old myth that Skotadi can only be saved by his opposite, Tempest-"

     "This is all based on a folktale?"

     "I have to believe there was an important reason Misae wanted Tempest," Namjoon presumed. "The legend is the only thing that makes sense."

     "This is too much pressure to be so fucking vague." Jungkook argued, "How the hell am I supposed to know what the hell to do, if you don't even know what any of this means."

     "I know if Cato takes him over, he will resume his plans, the Seokjin you know will be gone."

     "I won't kill him." Jungkook declared.

     "The prophecy about an onyx killing off the werewolves can still happen. You need to reach him."

     "You should have told me this in the first place, before Hoseok read me-"

     "I didn't think you'd help me if I told you all this first." Namjoon reasoned, "Besides that, Nari never wanted me to tell you, but I didn't see any other way around it."

     "So my mother was a liar too. Great. Really great. I don't even know who to trust anymore." Jungkook pushed past Namjoon, walking from the room, he slammed the door behind him.

 

     Taehyung peered out the library window, he saw Jungkook sitting against the stone wall by the garden, picking at a patch of grass. By the look on Jungkook's face, Taehyung could surmise that he was somewhere between distraught and indignant, sorting through a myriad of feelings. Poor kid had more secrets around him than a teenager's diary.

     "He probably shouldn't be alone," Jimin said, floating just over Taehyung's shoulder.

     "You're probably right." Taehyung slipped his hoody on and headed out of the library.

 

     Taehyung made his way out the back door, stopping to stare at Jungkook for a moment. The kid needed words of wisdom right about now.

     "Hey," Taehyung strolled over to the wall.

     "Hey." Jungkook didn't look up.

     "What did Namjoon say?"

     "I have so many fucking questions, but I don't want to ask him." Jungkook ripped out a handful of grass, throwing it aside.

     Taehyung sat down next to him, leaning against the wall. "What are you going to tell Seokjin?"

     "I don't think I can tell him anything." Jungkook realized, "Other than my dad wasn't my dad."

     "But isn't he going to wonder how you know that?"

     "I don't fucking know." Jungkook pulled up another handful of grass. "I don't know what the hell to do."

     "I am so glad my life isn't this complicated," Taehyung replied, frowning

     "Yeah, thanks." Jungkook stood up in a huff and tromped off.

     "Jungkook, I didn't mean anything bad by that," Taehyung called after him. "Shit."

     "Good one Tae.." Jimin popped up behind the wall. "You have a way with words."

     "Shut up Jimin." Taehyung stood up, blowing his bangs out of his face. 

 

     Jungkook found himself in front of his mother's gravestone, glaring down at it, disgust spread across his face. He felt like she was even more of a stranger now, not that she wasn't for at least the last ten years, but when he was eight, she was his hero. Nari walked on water as far as he was concerned. Finding out it was all a lie...that his whole life was one giant lie...sucked. Plain and simple.

     Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something move. He swiftly spun around, a tiny puff of air escaped his mouth as his eyes focused on the black blur that halted just at the edge of the woods, facing him. The mysterious figure stood before him, his head was covered by a hood making it impossible for Jungkook to make out who it was. The figure started to move away, but Jungkook followed.

     "Wait..."

     The figure paused as Jungkook approached with his hands held out in front of him in a non-threatening manner. Jungkook had blocked its pathway to escape, in a bold attempt to get this _thing_ to talk to him.

     "Who are you? Why are you following me?" Jungkook questioned, careful not to give it a reason to attack.

     "Someone who is very interested in you and Seokjin." The figure had a deep, raspy voice. "Do not follow me."

     The figure raised its arms suddenly, all Jungkook saw was a blinding light and then blackness as his body hit the dirt.

 

     When he awoke, Seokjin was kneeling over him, a worried expression etched on his face.

     "Strange place for a nap." Seokjin kidded, standing up.

     "What happened?" Jungkook asked, rubbing his head.

     "I was going to ask you that." Seokjin pulled him up to stand. "Did you pass out?"

     Jungkook could not remember exactly, he recalled seeing a figure and following it, then a strange bright light. "It was a man, he's been watching me-"

     "A man?" Seokjin asked, remembering the two times he had seen someone watching him from afar.

     "I saw him at the tux shop too."

     "Watching you one minute and the next he was gone?" Seokjin's question was more a rhetorical, out-loud thought.

     "I know it sounds crazy-"

     "No, I've seen him too." Seokjin's mind was immersed in terrible thoughts, wondering what this man could want. "Did he say anything?"

     Jungkook thought for a moment, everything was a bit foggy, like something had been rearranged in his mind. "He said not to follow."

     "Did he knock you out?"

     "There was a light, like a spell-"

     "A witch." Seokjin scanned the area, making sure they weren't being watched. "You shouldn't go anywhere alone-"

     "What do you think he wants?"

     "I don't know," Seokjin answered, baffled. What he did know was that the possibility of being cursed by a witch was not a positive situation. "Come on-"

     Seokjin started to walk, Jungkook following behind, trudging back towards the castle. "Why were you in the graveyard?"

      _Shit, what do I say?_ Jungkook panicked. How much should he tell Seokjin without actually telling him the reason he knew this information? "Just visiting her grave." He felt horrible for fibbing, it wasn't a total lie, but the vaguest of answers is often just as bad. 

      "Everything okay?"

     "I'm hungry, do you wanna go get something to eat?" Jungkook needed to change the subject before he gave away the whole secret.

     "As a werewolf or a human?" Seokjin smirked.

     "Human." Jungkook smiled, "Though deer doesn't sound bad either."

 

     Jungkook managed to sneak away from Seokjin after they got back from lunch, telling him yet another lie about needing to see Namjoon to talk about his mom's death, once again unable to let on about the real reason. Namjoon was shocked to see him so soon, he figured the younger would avoid him for awhile, but then again, Jungkook always did seem to let his curiosity get the better of him.

     "I lied to Seokjin about why I was at my mother's grave." Jungkook sat down on the chair in front of his desk, looking down at his hands. "I don't want to lie to him."

     "I know you must have a lot of questions." Namjoon leaned up in his chair to rest his hands on his desk.

     "I just want to understand this." Jungkook took a deep breath, wringing his hands together. "Why did my mom keep this a secret?"

     "She didn't figure anyone had to know about us. I wasn't proud of what I did, but I loved her, way before your dad came." Namjoon looked down at the desk, "I guess I couldn't give her up." He looked back at Jungkook, "He was a hunter, he didn't have a lot of sympathy for the supernatural, but she wanted a child and he was opposed to it for so long, when he finally agreed and she found out she couldn't bear a child, it killed her."

     "What was wrong with my dad, why wasn't he good enough?"

     "Nari was young, she didn't have the morals she had when you knew her, she wanted a strong child, one she knew could fend for himself against the hunters of the world. It's hard being a halfling in our world, even harder if that child is the offspring of a human hunter." Namjoon reckoned, "Hell, she wanted you so bad, she was willing to make a deal with Cato, knowing what they could do if she didn't keep her promise."

     "Why would my dad help raise me after what she did?"

     "He loved her, he would have done anything for her." Namjoon reasoned, "When you started acting out, they knew they had to do something, Nari convinced him I was the answer, and with Seokjin here, knowing he was an onyx hybrid, it was the right choice in their minds. They didn't tell me they knew what Seokjin was." He sighed, "She wanted to protect you."

     "She lied to me, to my fucking face, she told me Misae was the reason I had all these hidden powers, she said because I was a third human they saw that as a weakness. Why couldn't she just tell me the truth then?"

      "Think about it, she practically admitted it to you, being a third human was a weakness to them, Misae made sure she sought out a strong father, making sure she went to Tempest, Misae knew I would say no. I think Nari was just ashamed and scared of what you might think of her."

     "But you knew all along, you knew I wasn't part human, you still lied to me too," Jungkook growled, his face was turning red.

     "I didn't really know where she went after she saw me, I wanted to believe she went back home, I convinced myself of it," Namjoon's face was full of regret, "I didn't fully know until she came back a few months ago, but she still wouldn't tell me who it was."

     "Are you all proud of the lies?" Jungkook wanted to scream, "If you'd just been honest from the beginning, maybe all of this could have been avoided."

     "You're right." Namjoon agreed, he stood up and walked over to the window. "We made a lot of mistakes, but I want to believe it was for a good reason-"

     "All because some gods can't even get along." Jungkook was beside himself, "Maybe they should have killed Skotadi instead of creating all this bullshit."

     "Skotadi cannot just be put down, it's not that simple." Namjoon turned to him, "You can't kill a god."

     "Abram said they can be controlled-"

     "To an extent, that's why the council exists, but even their system has its faults. Skotadi may be a giant pain in the ass, but they can outvote him."

      "Meanwhile he's making plans of his own." Jungkook scoffed, "This is a bunch of bullshit, you know it-"

     "What's done is done, for whatever purpose. The gods wish for this to play out. Dagma said Seokjin's fate cannot be changed, but only up until now - what happens next is up to you both."

     "And if I can't get through to him?"

     "You have to Jungkook, Cato's influence is very strong in him, I know you sense it too." Namjoon sympathized, but he had to be stern, "Dagma believes the two of you are too important to the fate of the werewolf species. It's imperative that you help him fight it."

      "Why do you think he is so weak that he needs me to help him?"

     "Seokjin is strong mentally, one of the strongest I know, but he also has a thirst for power, to be the best, and with Cato inside of him, he is the top of the food chain."

     "I don't know how to help him?" Jungkook was filled with sadness and dread, he couldn't lose Seokjin to Cato, not with knowing what would happen if he did.

     "You have to show him that he doesn't have to do bad things to keep his strength." Namjoon encouraged him, "Prove to him that good can overcome-"

     "Blah Blah." Jungkook walked over to the door. "I'm to believe the fate of the werewolves rest on my and Seokjin's shoulders."

     "Whether you believe it or not, it's happening."

     "I don't believe in this chosen ones bullshit." Jungkook opened the door, "Are there any other lies I'm going to find out in a couple months?"

     Namjoon shook his head, "You know all I know."

     Jungkook rolled his eyes, focusing his attention on the ceiling, closing his eyes, "I'll do what I can to help him." He turned to stare Namjoon straight in the eyes, "But I swear to the gods if I find out you're hiding anything else, I will kill you." Jungkook walked out and slammed the door.

     Namjoon stood there dumbstruck, Jungkook's eyes were filled with hatred, but he couldn't blame the kid, his whole life had been a huge lie and Namjoon hadn't done much in the way of rectifying that.

 

* * *

Who's ready for the Vampire Ball??  =]


	42. The Vampire Ball

     

 

   

 

     

     The Vampire Ball, a.k.a., the grand once every ten years ball that vampires from all over the world would travel far and wide to attend. Yoongi defined it as the "Getting together to basically brag to each other about their coven's accomplishments ball." Usually filled with some fodder about unity, old world traditions, or other various bullshit topics that Yongi found to be beyond boring.  Nothing more than an opportunistic gala to discuss coven business while family members stayed preoccupied. Yoongi hated them because his father made it a point to call him out in front of the other coven heads to either praise or make an example of him, mostly the latter. Yoongi was never a 'good kid', instead, he often went out of his way to cause problems for his father.

 

     Taehyung was a bundle of excitement, he kept coming into Jungkook's room every fifteen minutes to mutter something to do with the ball, and Jungkook was about to throttle him. Jungkook who was attempting to calm his nerves with some light reading...and failing.

     "Why aren't you excited?" Taehyung had popped through the door once again and somehow managed to sit on his bed within the second he came in. Jungkook peered up at him from his book, wondering if he just missed some covert teleporting.

     "It's just a dance, it's not that exciting."

     Taehyung looked at him sideways, eyebrows raised so far up his forehead, Jungkook swore they made an escape. "It's more than just a dance." Taehyung groaned, shaking his head. "Every single high ranking vampire will be there-"

     "Meredith's elitist friends too?" Jungkook smirked as he turned the page.

     Taehyung shot him a dirty look, "That's not cool dude."

     "Too soon?" 

     Taehyung reached out to try to grab the book perched in Jungkook's hands, wondering what subject had captivated the younger's mind to actually make him focus. He attempted to read the title, but Jungkook managed to evade his hand like a pro, shielding the cover by laying it in his lap. "What are you reading?"

     "A book." Jungkook closed it and set it under his pillow. "Am I supposed to be impressed by a bunch of bloodsuckers meeting up to bitch about each other?"

     "Who told you that? Yoongi?" Taehyung gasped, then thought about it. "Technically, I guess that's sorta right."

     Jungkook chuckled, "I'm happy Seokjin wanted me to go, but I'm not really into parties."

     "Seokjin and Yoongi went to the last one together, did you know that?" Taehyung stood and walked over to the window.

     "Pardon?" Jungkook wasn't sure if Taehyung was kidding or not. 

     "Yoongi's father loves Seokjin like a son, I'm pretty sure he wanted to two of them to end up together."

     "Well fuck." Jungkook looked over at his tux. "So he probably has this preconceived notion that I've stolen Seokjin away-"

     "How do you think I feel? I'm Yoongi's freaking date." Taehyung whined, glancing at him, then back out the window, "Seokjin is back."

     Jungkook walked over to the window, his frown turned into a smile as he watched the elder get out of his car and head towards the house. 

     Taehyung smirked, Jungkook's smile was infectious. "Did you tell him about your dad?"

     Jungkook shook his head. "I can't say anything yet."

     

     Fifteen minutes later, Jungkook's door swung opened and Seokjin sauntered in, dressed to the nines in a black tuxedo, a matching black bow that was a tad crooked, and a slightly wrinkled white shirt with blue buttons. Jungkook felt his breath hitch as he admired Seokjin standing there, he was half tempted to tell him they should skip the ball and just spend the night in.

     "Woh." Jungkook's love-drunk gaze made Seokjin smile.

     "You going to get dressed or sit here talking to Taehyung all day?" Seokjin sat on the bed and laid back against the headboard.

     "Um yeah, I'll see you downstairs." Taehyung's grin was electric as he bounced out of the room, closing the door behind him.

     "You look hot." Jungkook grimaced at his word choice, "Handsome. Sexy? Oh god." Jungkook looked away, the smirk on Seokjin's face was one of pure elation. Jungkook had no clue why he was acting like such a spaz right now.

     "Yeah, now get your ass ready." Seokjin adjusted the pillow as Jungkook went over to his closet, he pulled a book out from under it and looked at the cover. "How to get your man to bear his soul."

      Jungkook looked at him wide-eyed, diving to grab the book from Seokjin's hand and quickly discarding it into the plant next to the window, smiling innocently.

     "Um, okay?" Seokjin was stunned, more so at the title of the book than Jungkook's acrobatics.

     "Nothing to worry about." Jungkook backed away, trying to contain the horrified look on his face.

      Seokjin stood up and walked over to Jungkook, "You need to know something about me?"

     "No, I'm good." Jungkook scrunched up his face embarrassed, figuring Seokjin was about to laugh at him, he quickly turned to the closet and reached for his tux. Seokjin grabbed his hand and spun him around, resting his palm on the nape of Jungkook's neck.

     "Is everything okay?" Seokjin's gaze pierced his soul, Jungkook suddenly felt guilty. "I sense turmoil."

     "Just nervous about this ball, I guess." Jungkook lied, well technically not a total lie since he was indeed worried about the ball, but mostly it was the secret he was keeping from Seokjin that ate at his heart.

     "You'll be fine." Seokjin leaned his head against the younger's, making Jungkook close his eyes. He wanted so badly to tell Seokjin everything and help him figure out how to get rid of Cato once and for all, but he couldn't risk losing him, he didn't understand any of this mind sharing shit. For now, he just had to trust Namjoon's judgment, even if it was slightly askew.

     Jungkook felt Seokjin's soft lips upon his and everything melted away for a small moment.

     "Relax." Seokjin smiled, calming the younger.

     "I'm fine." Jungkook sighed, turning to his tux, "I don't know how to tie a bowtie."

     "I do, don't worry." Seokjin kissed Jungkook then went to sit back on the bed.

 

     Yoongi paced in front of the mirror in his room, he was running through scenarios in his mind, dreading what his dad was going to try to pull tonight. He was sure that with him bringing Taehyung something was bound to happen. He kept stopping every few seconds to glare into his reflection in the mirror to try to tie the bowtie that just wouldn't seem to cooperate.

     Taehyung walked out of the bathroom and stopped to stare at him.

     "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were nervous," Taehyung commented, smirking.

     Yoongi ceased the pacing when he saw Taehyung in his tux, "You know how to tie this thing?" He was too frustrated with it to give it another go.

     Taehyung smiled, he walked over to Yoongi and grabbed the ends of the bow tie, beginning the steps, "Over 100 years old and you don't know how to do this yet?"

     "What the hell do I need to tie a bowtie for?" Yoongi was agitated, but he knew it wasn't Taehyung's fault. "Listen, if I know my father, there will probably be trouble tonight."

     "Trouble?" Taehyung asked, stepping back to admire his handiwork.

     Yoongi turned to his mirror and nodded, "Thanks."

     "What kind of trouble?" Taehyung went and sat on the edge of the bed, kicking at the carpet with his uncomfortable dress shoe.

     "He always finds a way to make an example out of me, plus the council isn't happy with my absence."

     "Should I be worried about your safety?" Taehyung inquired, one eyebrow raised, hoping he wouldn't be fighting off the vampire covens to save his would-be future boyfriend. He almost cackled at the thought.

     "Just, whatever happens," Yoongi persisted, "Don't get yourself involved, okay?"

     Taehyung was distressed, "You want me to ignore-"

     "Stay out of it, please. I don't want you getting hurt over some stupid vampire legacy bullshit."  Yoongi cut him off, insistent. "Promise me."

     Taehyung nodded begrudgingly. "Okay. I guess."

     "You look nice in a tux." Yoongi locked eyes with Taehyung from the mirror, then turned around and smiled at him. Taehyung felt his face become warm.

 

     Yoongi and Taehyung were waiting in the foyer for Seokjin and Jungkook to come down so they could all leave, Taehyung was trying to grab his bowtie from Jimin who had decided to rip it from his neck when he was coming down the stairs, almost causing him to take a tumble. Jimin kept floating just far enough up out of Taehyung's reach to piss him off. "Why are you like this?" Taehyung yelled at his brother, taking a swipe at him and missing.

     "I don't know," Jimin whined. In fact, he didn't understand why he was being so annoying lately. He figured it was a side effect of being disembodied. He hated it, but he also had a strange inclination towards causing chaos, like some instinct he had ingrained in him. "It's my job."

     Yoongi snickered at the sight, even though earlier that day, Jimin had visited him in the shower once again, first hiding his soap and then his towel and subsequently having to run down the hallway naked to his room where Jimin had locked him out of for a good fifteen minutes. Yoongi glanced up as Jungkook started to descend the staircase, focusing his attention once again on Jimin and Taehyung, beyond amused.

     "Do we need Hoseok to freeze his ass again?" Seokjin called out, stopping at the top of the stairs.

     Yoongi glanced up at Seokjin and did a double take. He watched Seokjin as he stepped down each stair, Taehyung stopped jumping around to stare at Yoongi who was transfixed by his former lover. He frowned, why was he so intensely watching Seokjin?

     "I will haunt you next if you do that." Jimin called out and dropped the bowtie, it landed in Yoongi's hair, Yoongi who didn't even notice because he was too focused on Seokjin. Yoongi bit his lip and glanced at Taehyung for a moment. _Stop staring at Seokjin, dumbass._  

     "That's the same tux you wore last time," Yoongi commented looking back to Seokjin, pretending that was the reason he was so captivated. He reached up and grabbed the bowtie from off his head, Seokjin nodded, "So the blood stain came out?"

     "Yup." Seokjin looked at the breast of the jacket, smoothing it out. "Bitch of a stain."

     Yoongi handed Taehyung his bowtie, then started for the door. "Let's go." He yelled back, he didn't want to have to explain to Taehyung what the hell just happened, he knew Taehyung noticed and was none too happy about it...first and foremost, he had no clue what that little scene was about and damn sure would not know how to explain it.

 

      Yeolgwi's estate was lit up, it looked like an old Hollywood red carpet event, except much darker. A macabre sideshow came to mind, complete with the freakishly evil and formally dressed undead. The foursome was standing in line to get in the doors, invitation only, as if some random stranger would dare try to crash this event. Ahead of them was a vampire that resembled the type of deformed ancient vampire you would see in a horror flick, probably over 1000 years old, extremely wealthy, and full of many stories about the good old days that no one cared to hear. He had a young woman with him that he was leading around by a leash, her arm was wrapped around him, firmly grasping his sides to hold him up. He kept taking sips of blood from her wrist and making a satisfied gurgling sound when he was done, they figured that was the only way that he didn't die on the spot. Jungkook and Taehyung exchanged glances, this was some mildly amusing, bizarre shit. Behind them, in the middle of the driveway, suited men in masks were performing some sort of gymnastic moves in the fountain, except the water was blood red and frozen in bursts swirling around them in an artistic display by some sort of magical spell.

      "Why are we in line?" Seokjin asked, leaning into Yoongi's ear. "Your invitation is your face-"

     "Why give my father the satisfaction." Yoongi grabbed Taehyung by the back of the neck and pulled him in close. "Don't mess with that." He advised Taehyung, who had been petting some sort of wolf/cat looking creature that had rubbed up against his leg.

 

     Yeolgwi was standing on his balcony overlooking the crowd, his arms crossed, silently judging the riff-raff the other covens were breeding. "What a spectacle."

     The guards giggled.

     "Let us get this travesty underway." He moaned to his guard and was about to turn to walk away when he spotted Yoongi in the line. "If I told that kid a million times."

     "Sir?" The guard scoured the crowd to locate Yoongi.

     "Save me from my burden," He motioned to the guards to go nab Yoongi from the queue of dreadful vermin, rolling his eyes at how he could have failed so bad at being a father.

     "He is becoming a liability." A very old female vampire stepped out from the shadows, dressed in a long flowing red gown, tapping her elongated black nails on the railing as she turned to Yeolgwi. "This is your choice for our leader." She scoffed.

     "Simatra, if this is another attempt to thrust your son upon me, I suggest you leave now." Yeolgwi turned to her, indignant.

     "Jihoon is the smart choice, I know you see that." Simatra sneered, her obvious contempt for Yeolgwi was matched by his equally obvious malcontent for her.

     "Jihoon is not my son. End of story."

     "Yoongi is obviously not your son either." She mocked him.

     Yeolgwi drew his hand back and slapped her across the face, she grabbed her cheek, straightening back up to stare daggers at him, "Watch your tongue, sister. I will not hesitate to sacrifice you to the sun god."

 

     Yoongi was led through the doors of the estate, all eyes trained upon him as the chatter went quiet, turning to hushed whispers. Surprised faces staring attentively as he walked past, his presence seemed to offend a good deal of them. Jungkook and Taehyung were uncomfortable, trying not to stare back, instead focusing on the black and white diamond checkered tiles beneath their feet. Jungkook had never seen so much eccentric narcissism in one place before.

     Seokjin stepped through the doors and Jungkook swore he heard several people gasp, he looked back at the elder, Seokjin always seemed to bask in negative energy, like at the fights, but this seemed different, more elevated. Jungkook felt the goosebumps pop up and he swiped his hand over his sleeve as if that would calm them somehow. There was something very unsettling about Seokjin's expression, Jungook found it a little too sexy and he cursed himself for being such a fanboy. Seokjin did not cower to the gazes of the vampire population, he just smirked back and bowed his head to each person they passed.

     Yoongi stopped when he reached the staircase, grabbing a goblet of blood from the tray of one of the servers, servers who had blood dripping from their necks as if they were drained to fill the goblets as they circled the rooms. He took a sip and turned to Taehyung.

     "I am sure there is something you can find to eat around here," Yoongi looked towards the bar, "She looks particularly ready to die."

     Taehyung glanced over at the bar at the decrepit teenage girl that was mixing drinks, then back to Yoongi as a young man approached him, probably the shortest man he had seen in a very long while. "Is this one of the affairs you wanted me to stay clear of?" Taehyung nodded towards Jihoon as he stopped next to them.

     Yoongi did not take his eyes off the bartender, "Jihoon." His tone, pure boredom.

     "Cousin." Jihoon smiled and turned to bow to Seokjin. "Seokjin."

     "Jihoon, so nice to see you again." Seokjin smiled a wicked little scowl, resting his eyes upon the scar that blemished the flaxen-haired vampire's cheek. 

     "Nice to see you're still sporting the same tired apparel. Did you even bother to remove the blood stain?"

      Seokjin and Jihoon did not like each other, and if that wasn't apparent enough by the foul stares they were giving each other, then the heat coming off of both of them was enough to give someone a clue, or... fry an egg. Jungkook had to fan himself as he was starting to sweat. At the last ball, the reason Jihoon had the scar and Seokjin's jacket was stained with his blood, was the result of a nasty little game of cat and mouse. Vampires often used werewolf children as prey, chasing them through a grotesque maze, known as the 'Eliminator'. The whole rotten scenario was a scam, an unfair game that was not meant to allow an escape, they were tortured to the point that they begged for death to end their suffering. The last moments of their life consisted of several bites to their jugular then being tossed in a pit like garbage, left to bleed out and die. Seokjin had challenged Jihoon to a game, if he won, the maze would be destroyed ending the possibility of any future games. Seokjin won. Jihoon objected, learning an important lesson of how not to treat a very pissed off hybrid.

     "It's a nice souvenir." Seokjin took a goblet of blood as another server passed, drinking it down and setting it back on the tray just as fast.

     "Enough." Yoongi turned to Jihoon. "What do you want?"

     "Rumor has it, you're still with that pack." Jihoon turned to look at Jungkook, a curious expression upon him. "Curious," Jihoon spoke, taking several steps closer to Jungkook. Seokjin stepped in his path, stopping him instantly. "Oh, so this is the bond."

     "He's off limits," Seokjin warned him.

     "Calm down, I don't plan on hurting him." Jihoon looked perplexed. "I have never felt such an energy. Very peculiar aura."

     "Can we cut the theatrics, state what you want and leave." Yoongi was annoyed, his jaw muscles pulsating as he grabbed Jihoon's arm to turn him around.

     "Yes, of course," Jihoon directed his attention back to Yoongi. "Your father is a stubborn man-"

     "I am well aware." Yoongi leaned against the stair railing, contemplating his excuse to leave, "If you need me to talk to him about you taking the reigns, I am all for it."

     "So then we are in agreement?" Jihoon seemed a bit surprised, "I didn't think it would be this easy."

     "I want none of this." Yoongi expression turned to hate as he scanned the room.

     "I am not sorry to hear that." Jihoon smiled. "Now to convince your father of this."

 

     Taehyung and Jungkook decided to roam the home, a little DIY tour into Yoongi's life. They snuck off together, unable to bear another moment of awkward introductions. They found themselves on the second floor twenty minutes later, wandering down a rather lengthy wood-paneled hallway.

     "So what do you think his bedroom is like?" Taehyung asked giggling.

     "All black, like complete blackness." Jungkook opened a door and looked in, closing it again and walking to the next door. "Probably doesn't even have windows."

     "I think there has to be a coffin-shaped couch with blood red cushions." Taehyung opened the next door, stopping to look inside. "Holy zombie tits, we couldn't be more wrong."

     Taehyung walked into the whitest room he had ever seen in his life, he figured the maid must have owned her own museum, as everything inside was pristine, hardly touched, cleaner than the ICU ward of a hospital. Jungkook pushed past him and went straight over to the bed, running his hand over the smooth cherry colored wood of the bedpost. 

     "What makes you think this is his?" Jungkook tested the bed for firmness, bouncing slightly.

     Taehyung grabbed a black motorcycle jacket that was peeking out from the armoire and held it up. "I'd recognize his smell anywhere." He opened the door wider, noticing some pictures inside stuck to a corkboard by pins. He picked up one of Yoongi and Seokjin standing side by side, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders giving peace signs. They looked drunk. "Yup, Seokjin."

     Jungkook walked over and studied the picture. "He hasn't lived here in ages, why is all this stuff here?"

     "Preservation." A young woman was standing in the doorway. They both jumped, "Despite his Father's tough exterior, he loves his son."

     Taehyung stuck the picture back on the corkboard. "Sorry, we shouldn't be here."

     "It's okay. You must be Taehyung?" The young woman held out her hand, Taehyung looked at it and then shook it, nodding. "Can't say I've heard much about you-"

     "And you are?" Jungkook asked, and she turned to him.

     "Amelia." She turned to Jungkook. "Seokjin's bond, Jungkook, I presume?"

     Jungkook nodded.

     "You're a blue, don't see that much in your species." She flashed a condescending smirk and then turned her attention back to Taehyung. "I'm sure you're quite curious about our young prince."

     "Prince?" Taehyung stifled a laugh, "I would not picture him to be a prince."

     "He underplays his position here, but don't be mistaken, he is the prince of the vampires."

     "Well, he has the pompous act pretty spot on." Jungkook joked, smiling, Taehyung chuckled agreeing. Jungkook noticed that Amelia did not seem amused, the smile faded from his mouth.

     "Taehyung, I am sure you mean well, but let's face facts, you're not cut out for this life." Amelia informed him.

     "What do you mean?" Taehyung was clueless.

     "Yeolgwi's first choice for Yoongi is Seokjin, but it seems he went and bonded." Amelia strutted over and closed the armoire. "You don't belong in this world, best not to get too comfortable."

     "You don't anything about me-"

     She smiled and turned back to Taehyung, "Not to say that you're pathetic, but let's face it, you don't even change anymore."

     Taehyung looked down at the floor, feeling upset.

     "That's uncalled for, you don't have to be rude." Jungkook spat.

     "Careful young hybrid, you're not totally safe in this house, if Yeolgwi decides he wants Seokjin for his son, he won't stop at anything to make that happen." Amelia bit her lip, she was enjoying this.

     "I'd like to see him try something." Jungkook's eyes flashed blue, she quickly backed away from him, as if frightened.

     "White wolf?" She backed up to the door, "No, it can't be-"

     Taehyung and Jungkook looked at each other, bewildered. 

     "See yourselves out." She sputtered and turned to hurry from the room.

     "What the fuck just happened?" Taehyung cleared his throat.

     "I dunno?" Jungkook commented, a feeling of unease overtook him, "We should get back downstairs."

      "Yeah," Taehyung nodded and they both walked out.

 

     Jungkook strolled into the ballroom, he was unable to locate Seokjin in any other part of the estate and this was the last area he had to check. The massive room was packed wall to wall with couples doing some sort of fancy dance he assumed was a waltz from the videos he saw on Youtube when he was searching for slow dances last week. He cringed, turning to focus on the walls instead. Enormous paintings of various faces lined the white wallpaper perfectly spaced about a foot apart, commanding an ambiance of relevance. He scrutinized the turned down expressions of their mouths, it was obvious that all of these men did something great in their lifetimes. He spotted Yeolgwi and Yoongi's portraits above the area where the stage was, he chuckled at Yoongi's painting, he was the anti-everything of their world, his face hanging there mocked their very existence. On the stage below, a live orchestra was playing a slow classical tune.

     There were so many old people loitering about, it looked like a senior citizen convention, he thought vampires were supposed to age gracefully, then again, he was sure not everyone here was a vampire. Jungkook noticed Seokjin was dancing with someone, he stopped walking when he saw it was Amelia. _What is this bitch up to?_ Jungkook watched as Seokjin dipped her, he had no clue the elder was so graceful. He was a sight out there on the dance floor, he wondered how Seokjin could be so perfect in everything he did. Jungkook saw several young ladies standing across the room, smiling, clutching each other, giggling as they watched him. He could feel the lust trickling off them like a faucet connected to a pool of hormones.

     "He is quite a sight." Yeolgwi put his hand on Jungkook's shoulder, causing the younger to jump and turn around. Yeolgwi just smiled. "He was always very popular amongst the young ones, boys and girls alike."

     Jungkook just stood there, dumbfounded, not sure what to do or say. He just nodded, nervous.

     "Yoongi on the other hand," Yeolgwi eyes were fixated on Yoongi standing near the stage, leaning against the column, looking like the cliche bad boy, picking at his nails. "More the love them and leave them type, never really interested in anyone...until Seokjin."

     Jungkook snapped his attention to Yeolgwi. He was sure the man was trying to make a point. "Is there a reason you're telling me this?"

     "Just pointing out the facts, no need to get angry."

     "I'm not angry."

     Yeolgwi smiled, "Your body temperature suggests otherwise."

     Jungkook cursed himself, he could not allow Yeolgwi to get to him, but he seemed to know what nerves to pray upon. "Amelia already tried her mind games on Taehyung, she's very rude if you ask me."

     "I like you Jungkook, you seem like a nice kid," Yeolgwi emphasized the word _kid_.

     "I'm not that nice." Jungkook clenched his jaws, staring right into the vampire's eyes.

     "There comes a certain respect with age and rank, you will learn. See Jungkook, everyone has a place in society." Yeolgwi looked at Seokjin, "Refinement is important. Seokjin possesses all the desirable traits. Grace. Beauty. Strength." He watched Seokjin twirl Amelia around, "When Seokjin walks into a room, people stop and stare."

     Jungkook could not deny that. "Your point is?"

     "When my son walks into a room, it is mostly contempt and surprise he receives." Yeolgwi placed his arm around Jungkook's shoulder, pulling the younger in close, Jungkook struggled, disliking this man touching him. "My son is very special to me, but he would be traded in an instant if Seokjin could take his place. Do you get what I am saying?"

     "No." Jungkook had no clue and the longer Yeolgwi held him, the more uncomfortable he became, not to mention he couldn't shake the feeling that something unpleasant was brewing behind his menacing scowl.

     "Walk with me." Yeolgwi pulled Jungkook along, giving him no choice in the matter. Yoongi noticed his father leading Jungkook out of the room, knowing this was not a good thing, he followed after.

 

     The courtyard was scantily lit, just the atmospheric illumination from the estate casting it's glow just far enough to make everything shadowy. It was intimidating and Jungkook was sure that was the exact mood that Yeolgwi was trying to portray. "This estate is very rich in history. Many battles have happened right here on these grounds."

     "Sounds like you all have trouble finding ways to get along." Jungkook quipped and Yeolgwi laughed. 

     "You have spunk, I admire that." Yeolgwi moved in a swift pattern, reappearing behind Jungkook, as Jungkook turned, he was grabbed by the neck, two clawed fingers inserted into his flesh. "You will learn your place, white wolf."

     Jungkook's eyes turned blue on instinct, he choked a bit as he tried to pry Yeolgwi's hand away.

     "Let him go." Yoongi stepped out from the darkness, his fangs extended past his lip, breathing elevated.

     "You would step up to save this whelp's life?" Yeolgwi seethed, "You have gone soft."

     Yoongi stepped closer, "You kill this whelp and you'll have to deal with Seokjin's wrath, I don't think anyone wants that."

     "Seokjin can be maintained-"

     "Maybe when he was his normal self, "Yoongi smirked, "He's got Cato's power now, you're not going to win."

     Yeolgwi let go of Jungkook and backed up, the younger grabbed his neck, coughing.

     "So the rumors are true." Yeolgwi smirked, "He is Cato reincarnated."

     "Not exactly." Yoongi stood in front of his father. "I'm backing Jihoon, so this little ploy here is pointless."

     "You cannot deny your birthright, you _will_ take that position," Yeolgwi ordered.

     "Or what?  What is your end game, father?" Yoongi shouted, "Force me into a position I don't want-"

     "I tried to reason with you, I told the council I could convince you-"

     "Well then you lied, I don't want any part of a world you created."

     Three rather enormous, muscular vampires appeared behind Jungkook, the younger swiveled around and stepped back, eyeing each of them. Yoongi just laughed.

     "If you won't do this my way, then I have no choice but to let the council take control of the situation." Yeolgwi barked, "You'll be branded a deserter."

     "So much for free will."

     "You are the god damned prince, you do not have a choice." Yeolgwi shouted, "Do you think I was given a choice?"

     Yoongi looked at each of the guards, standing there so obedient. "I just want to live out my life in Namjoon's pack, maybe settle down with Taehyung, who knows."

     "You do not want that life, it is very plain to see who you want to be with and it is not that peon."

     Yoongi glanced at Jungkook who was staring at him. "We can't have everything we want." Yoongi turned back to his father, "I won't go down without a fight."

     'Then you will die." Yeolgwi's fangs grew down, he held his hands up to the men, letting them know not to interfere.

 

     Taehyung was watching from the veranda, he knew he had to find Seokjin and get him out here, there was no way Yoongi could fight off his father and three huge vampires on his own. He dashed back inside and busted through the ballroom doors, scanning the faces for Seokjin. He spotted him mid-dance floor still entwined with Amelia, mindlessly following the steps to the dance, staring into her eyes. Female vampires had the ability to captivate their prey, to keep them in a catatonic state making it easier to take their victim's life, it was also very handy for occupying the attention of an extremely strong, loyal hybrid that would not hesitate to end a life if Yoongi's was threatened. Taehyung rushed over and pulled at Seokjin's shoulder, breaking the eye contact.

     "Yoongi is in trouble." Taehyung conveyed, grabbing Seokjin's face to make sure he stayed focused on him and not Amelia.

     Seokjin snapped back to reality, He looked at Amelia, who merely smiled at him. "I swear to the gods, if killing you right now was an option, you'd be dead."

     Amelia made a face, entertained. "You're outnumbered here Seokjin, you might as well just let them fight it out."

     Seokjin grabbed her by the neck, squeezing. The motion alerted several guards who had been watching them, they made their way through the crowd, coming to a halt behind Seokjin, fists clenched, ready to fight.

     "Not now." Taehyung  seized his arm, pulling back "You need to help Yoongi."

      "Soon." Seokjin snarled, releasing her.

     "You can be sure of that," She scowled back, watching as he pushed past the guards and headed out of the ballroom with Taehyung.

     

     Seokjin raced out of the back door with Taehyung following behind, trying his best to keep up. He skidded to a halt at the edge of gardens where Yeolgwi had Yoongi pinned down, his extended fangs inches from his son's throat. Yoongi was struggling to push the old vampire off, his arms shaking from the pressure. Jungkook was being held back by two of the buff guards, one of them had his claws sunk into Jungkook's neck, rendering him unable to change. 

     "Yoongi-" Seokjin used his foot to push Yeolgwi off of Yoongi.

      "It's okay." Yoongi turned over and stood, holding up his hand to Seokjin. "I have to do this myself."

     "You can't win against him, he'll kill you." Seokjin reasoned.

     "I'm fighting for my freedom." Yoongi was thrown off-guard as Yeolgwi leapt onto his back and sunk his fangs deep into the crook of Yoongi's neck, he screamed out in a mangled mixture of pain and annoyance. He managed to flip his father over his back where he landed hard in the dirt. Seokjin was fighting hard to control himself from turning. Jungkook stared at him, the elder hadn't even noticed that he was there, being held back by these two thugs, he was too concentrated on Yoongi.

     "If he interferes, kill him." Yeolgwi ordered and the guards all nodded.

     "If you kill him, I kill you." Seokjin proclaimed as he paced back and forth, impatient.

     "Seokjin. Watch out." Taehyung called out, pushing him out of the way of the overzealous third guard that attempted a sneak attack, instead Taehyung was tackled to the ground, where his head bounced off a rock that was protruding from the earth, knocking him out cold. The vampire moved in, about to bite down into Taehyung's neck when Seokjin grabbed him by the hair, pulled his head back and snapped his neck. He bent down to check Taehyung's pulse. He was alive.

     "Now that's power." Yeolgwi's gaze was murderous, impressed with Seokjin's ease at taking down his enemy. "You could do with a lesson or two, my son."

     "If you love him so much, adopt him." Yoongi spit, lunging forward, he swung and hit Yeolgwi with a hard right to the chin, sending him backward, the old vampire recovering just as quick. Yeolgwi moved fast for such a fossil, he was behind Yoongi knocking him to the ground, before Yoongi could react to stop him. Yoongi landed in the dirt face first, spitting out a mouthful of soil. He scrambled to his knees, but Yeolgwi pushed him back down to the ground, pressing his foot against Yoongi's back.

     Jihoon and Amelia had slinked their way down to spectate the show, anticipating Yeolgwi's next move.

     "I wanted so much for you." Yeolgwi pushed so hard on Yoongi's back, the deafening sound of bones cracking filled the air, "You are better than this."

     "Not sorry to disappoint, father." Yoongi coughed out.

     "You have brought shame to the coven-"

     Yoongi managed to push up and roll to the side, escaping Yeolgwi's virulence. He stood up and removed his jacket, throwing it to the ground, he wiped off the trickle of blood that escaped his nose. "Why is it so hard to just let me go?"

     "You're a fool, just like your mother." Yeolgwi cursed him, pushing him back.

     Yoongi's face contorted into a jumble of hatred and bitterness, he thrust his fist into his father's chest cavity and held it there for what seemed like an eternity, Yeolgwi turned pure white as he looked down horrified. Yoongi was grasping his heart inside his chest, twisting his hand inside of his father. "Let me go or I'll drop you."

     Yeolgwi grabbed Yoongi by the shoulders, pressing his fingers into his skin. "Do it."  

     Yoongi shook his head, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

     Yeolgwi's eyes filled with a wild abandon, a pride swept across him, his son was finally going to live up to his expectations, even if it meant him he would die to witness such a miracle. "Make me proud."

     Yoongi struggled with himself, if he killed him now he would earn his freedom, but if he didn't, he would have to assume his position as the heir to the throne, he could not return to this life. He promised his mother he would not become corrupt. He wanted so badly to just end it now, but by adding the 'make me proud' part, Yeolgwi knew he would win either way.

     Yoongi ripped his father's heart out and watched as he clutched at his chest and dropped to the ground, looking up at his son. "I'm out, done."

     Amelia gasped, bending down to him. "Yeolgwi!"

     "Here I thought it would be black and ice-covered." Yoongi squeezed it, dripping blood and goo onto his father's dying body. He threw it away and bent down next to Yeolgwi, grasping his father's hand tightly in his own. He watched as the light fade from his father's eyes. "I hope you find peace in the afterlife."

     "You murdered him." Amelia stood, her face red with anger.

     "We made a deal." Yoongi threw his father's hand aside and stood. "Jihoon can take my place." He walked off, back towards the house.

     The two men let go of Jungkook and for the first time, Seokjin noticed him standing there.

     "Kookie?" He went over and wiped the blood from Jungkook's neck, watching as the wound healed. "Are you okay?"

     "Yeah, are you?" Jungkook asked, rather irked with the elder.

     "What's wrong?" Seokjin asked, not realizing what he had done.

     "Nothing." Jungkook walked over and picked Taehyung up in his arms, "I'm taking the car, I'm sure you can find a way home."

     "Jungkook?" Seokjin called after him. Jungkook did not stop or acknowledge him, he just kept walking.

 

     Yoongi opened the armoire in his bedroom, he grabbed a box from the top shelf and strode over to the bed to place it down, he stared at it a few moments before opening it. Inside was a locket mixed amongst other small tokens and old love letters, he snatched it up and stared at it. Seokjin appeared in the doorway and Yoongi glanced at him a few moments, then placed the locket over his head, securing it under his shirt, he ripped off his bowtie and threw it down to the floor and unbuttoned the top button, walking back to the armoire, he took out his motorcycle jacket and slipped it on, sniffing the leather.  

     "Looks like I'm an orphan now" He plucked the picture of him and Seokjin from the corkboard and shoved it into the pocket on the inside of the jacket.

     "Everyone downstairs is upset." Seokjin walked over to him.

     "Good, let them be." Yoongi glanced up at Seokjin, saddened. He looked at Seokjin for several moments as if trying to overcome some kind of internal struggle, then in a swift motion, he grabbed Seokjin by the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss, it lasted several seconds before Seokjin pushed him back.

     "What the hell are you doing?" Seokjin wiped the wet from his lips.

     "I'm going away for a few weeks, let Taehyung know I'll be back." Yoongi walked over to the corner of his room, pressing in a piece of wood that was cut into the molding on the wall, the wall pivoted and opened up, leading to a stairwell. "I just need to clear my head."

     "Yoongi, you shouldn't be alone-"

     "Yes, I should." He took a deep breath and then disappeared down the stairs, Seokjin walked over and pressed the button, watching as the wall closed back up again. He sighed.

     Amelia hurried into the room, her eyes darted around, noticing Yoongi was not there. "Where is he?" She demanded and Seokjin turned to her.

     "Leave him be." Seokjin advised, "You have your little bitch boy Jihoon to take over-"

     "You think the vampire council is going to sit back and let Yoongi get away with this? Family ties aside, he murdered a high rank-"

     "They made a deal, you know that." Seokjin pushed her back against the wall, "Stop trying to cause drama."

     "He's in trouble, Seokjin, no way around it, the council will not stand for this."

     "Well, you can tell the council to suck my dick," Seokjin replied staring intensely at her for a moment before walking out of the room.

     Amelia took out her cell phone and dialed a number. "It's done, the old bastard is dead and Jihoon is set to take his place. Keep eyes on Seokjin, he might be a problem." She hung up and looked towards the door, smiling.

 

     Seokjin knew something foul was afoot, with Yoongi out of the coven and possibly on the run now, everything was falling into place for Jihoon a little too neatly. He had the inkling that Yeolgwi's murder tonight was not just some sort of random occurrence. However, he did not have the time to worry about vampire affairs...the only vampire he cared about was Yoongi.

_Yoongi and that kiss..._

     


	43. Dealing with a Creature

     The next morning, Seokjin was in Namjoon's office, discussing what to do about the tunnel creature. Seokjin stood in front of the window and observed Harley and Taehyung running through the grass like a couple of children, chasing butterflies, catching them and then releasing them again. She was so curious about nature, Seokjin had to wonder exactly how sheltered they all were.

     "I think we should call a meeting, get everyone's input," Namjoon was scrolling through a news site on his laptop, "A girl disappeared near that area days ago, I don't think it's a coincidence."

     "What if I go down there and try to talk to it?" Seokjin suggested, walking over to sit down. 

     "We don't know if it was even controlled by Cato, that could be dangerous."

     "We have the advantage over it either way, it's big and clumsy and slow." Seokjin reasoned, setting his feet up on the desk.

     "Based on one incident?" Namjoon sat back and looked at him, "I would feel better if we knew more about it."

     "I am sure Hoseok will have some idea of how to proceed."

      Namjoon nodded, turning off his monitor. "Have you heard from Yoongi?"

     "Just a text saying he was okay."

     Yoongi's disappearance made things difficult, but being as there were witnesses to corroborate his story about Yeolgwi making a deal with him, he wouldn't have to face much punishment. The council was planning to derank him, he would not be able to hold a position of power in the future, which would make Yoongi happy, as he did not wish to anyway.

     "I'm worried about him." Seokjin confessed, "It's never good when he shuts people out."

     "I know it's none of my business, but I heard Jungkook and Taehyung talking in the kitchen last night-"

     "There's nothing going on between us-"

     Namjoon was alarmed that Seokjin knew right away what he was talking about, "Can you say the same for him?" 

     "No." Seokjin looked down, he struggled on whether or not he should ask Namjoon about any of this, but he had no one else to talk to about it, "Did Cato ever bond with anyone?" 

     "I don't believe so, some say Misae was the one, but I don't think it was true."

     Seokjin sat up and leaned into the desk, "Is it possible to have two bonds since his conscience is inside of me?"  

     "Are you saying you think you could have bonded with Yoongi?" Namjoon inquired.

     "No, no, nothing like that." Seokjin's voice squeaked, Namjoon knew he was lying.

     "Seokjin, I don't need to remind you of what could happen if you don't get Cato out of your mind-"

     "I've been working on it." Seokjin lied, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He was relishing in Cato's power and how much less he had to let principal or morals into the equation.

     "Do you know what this would do to Jungkook?"

     "I told you it was nothing like that." Seokjin shot up from his seat, perturbed.

      "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Namjoon stood.

     "I didn't bring this up so that I could get accused of things, I just want to be prepared-"

     "You need to get a handle on this." Namjoon warned, "Now."

 

      Seokjin wandered around the grounds deep in thought, he knew he wasn't harboring some sinful feelings towards his best friend, he did not fall for Yoongi, he was sure of it. _Don't lie to yourself. That kiss meant something._ Seokjin tapped his forehead with his knuckles, trying to rid his mind of such thoughts. He was in love with Jungkook, only Jungkook.

     He stopped and turned around, a man on a mission; he would prove it to himself and Namjoon...and any other person who dares to think Yoongi was more than a friend. He marched straight back to the castle and burst through the doors of the weight room where Jungkook was punching the bag.

     "Hey," Seokjin called. Jungkook stopped to look at him.

     "Hey." He answered then went back to hitting the bag.

     Seokjin walked over, ignoring the sudden coldness in the air, he stopped behind Jungkook. "Can we do something tonight?"

     "Do what?" Jungkook glanced at him.

     "I don't know, like go out and do normal people things."

     "Pay bills, get jobs?"  Jungook hurried his pace, punching the bag harder. "Die?"

     "I was thinking a date."

     Jungkook stopped and glared at him, "A date?"

     "Yeah, a date." Seokjin grabbed on to the bag, leaning his face against the smooth vinyl. The smell of many hours of hard work penetrating his nostrils.

     "Why?" Jungkook questioned, raising an eyebrow.

     "What do you mean why?" Seokjin bellowed, "Because I want to spend time with you."

     "Is it because Yoongi isn't here?" Jungkook slammed his fist into the bag, Seokjin's face bounced off of it.

      "Kookie-"

      Jungkook looked at him, his eyes narrowed. "Where did he go?"

     "I don't know, I don't care." Seokjin pouted, "Can't I just want to spend time with you without a bunch of questions?"

     Jungkook thought about it for a good minute, he did want to spend more time with Seokjin, but he also was still a little mad at him, he smiled slyly then looked straight into the elder's eyes.

     "What is that look?" Seokjin felt he was about to get some shit from the younger.

     "I want to play billiards." Jungkook hit the bag a few more times, Seokjin held it steady for him. "Then bungee jumping, then bowling, and the zoo, maybe some fishing if we have time."

     Seokjin smiled, "You sure you don't want to buy a camel and go backpacking around the world while you're at it?"

     Jungkook shrugged, "I'll put it on my list."

     Seokjin grabbed Jungkook and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry if I upset you."

     Jungkook sighed, this was his favorite place to be, with Seokjin's arms wrapped around him. He gave in and returned the hug, forgetting why he was upset.

     "I love you, you know that right?" Seokjin looked him in the eyes.

     "Maybe." Jungkook smirked. "Should I go take a shower?"

     "Hurry." Seokjin planted a kiss on Jungkook's lips, "Maybe wear one of those white t-shirts you love so much."

     Jungkook laughed as he headed towards the door, "You love my fashion style, don't lie."

     "I love you much more when you're not wearing any clothing." Seokjin kidded. He watched as the younger walked from the room. His phone vibrated and he fished it from his pocket, staring at the screen, _Yoongi._

     He opened the message: **Can we talk?** Seokjin looked towards the door. **What about?** He sent back, then went and sat on the bench.

      **Can you just meet me later?** Yoongi texted back seconds later.

    **Where?**

      **The beach, around 9?**

Seokjin thought for a moment, he knew it wasn't a good idea, but he also had to prove to himself that whatever he felt for Yoongi did not go beyond friendship. It couldn't, he would not do that to Jungkook.

 **Sure.** Seokjin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he hit send then stuck his phone back in his pocket...  _Fuck._

 

    Seokjin watched Jungkook leap off the edge of the steel platform, barreling down towards the ground, then springing back up like a human yo-yo, the bungee chord bouncing him a few times as he yelled out in pure elation. Seokjin peered down as they lowered the younger and then unhitched him from the chord, Jungkook was practically bouncing up and down as he looked up at Seokjin. The kid had no fear.

     "Jump." Jungkook called from the ground and Seokjin waved down to him, he then held out his arms, leaning his head back feeling the breeze through his hair. He exhaled as he fell freely into the wind, spinning like a top, in mid-air, it was so exhilarating. He felt like he was flying, every thought in his mind faded away. He could hear Jungkook cheering him on somewhere below him, but he just stared at the sky, his eyes turned black and he smiled.

     Jungkook ran over and jumped on his back the second the cord was removed.

     "Woh, that was..fucking nuts!" Seokjin screamed out and Jungkook laughed. "What's next?"

     "Bowling." Jungkook smiled, "Or the zoo."

     "Stinky animals rolling around in their own shit?" Seokjin shook his head, "I think there's enough of that back at the castle."

     "Aha, funny." Jungkook laughed jumping off his back. He didn't care what they did, he was just happy to be spending time with Seokjin alone for once, and the adrenaline from bungee jumping was powering his good mood. "What do you want to do?"

     "You." Seokjin smiled and then looked at him, "If we're being honest."

     "I have a headache," Jungkook smirked, kidding.

     "You lie." Seokjin wrapped his hands around the younger's hips, pulling him closer.

     "Only slightly," Jungkook bit his lip.

     "So what would one have to do to ease a headache?" He kissed Jungkook's lips, working his way down to the younger's neck, biting gently.

     "Three million in all pennies."Jungkook was being evil, it felt good and he was tempted, but he figured they could do that anytime, he just wanted to have fun being out with Seokjin, away from everyone and everything. "I just wanna hang with you-"

     Seokjin sighed, "Fine." He whined as he let go of Jungkook and grabbed his helmet from his bike. "I get the hint."

     "Ah come on, don't be like that."

     "Where to next?" Seokjin threw on his helmet and got on the bike, holding out the other helmet to Jungkook.

     "Well, now I feel bad." Jungkook climbed on the back of the bike as Seokjin started it up. 

     "Not a big deal." Seokjin's muffled voice was almost inaudible with the sound of the bike's engine. He lifted up the visor and turned to look at Jungkook, his mood was different, cold. "Where to?"

     Jungkook could tell that Seokjin felt rejected, he felt guilty, like all the pleasure of the day had been drained suddenly. He didn't feel like doing much of anything now. "Home."

     Seokjin nodded and put his visor back down. He hit the throttle and zoomed off down the street.

 

     Taehyung was weeding his garden when Jungkook set down a box of potted plants behind him and slumped down onto the grass. "Hoseok said you needed those."

     "Yeah, Thanks." Taehyung didn't even look up. "What's wrong?"

     "What's wrong with who?" Jungkook laid back, peering up at the nearly dark, star-filled sky.

     "You. Who else?" Taehyung grabbed his watering can and began to wet each plant as he took them out and relocated them in a single row on the ground. "Shit, I didn't want to do this in the dark."

     "So wait until morning." Jungkook traced the moon with his finger.

     Taehyung sighed, "Never enough time in the day for this shit." He set the last plant on the dirt. "So?"

     "So nothing, just bored." Jungkook was bummed, but he didn't really want to talk about it.

     "Where's Seokjin?"

     Jungkook shrugged, "Dunno, he dropped me off, said he'd be back later and left."

     "You don't think he's going to that house, do you?"

     "No, I dunno. Maybe." Jungkook was mad at himself, even though he shouldn't be.  He was allowed to say 'No' to Seokjin once in awhile without having to feel guilty about it.

     "Has he gotten a message from Yoongi?" Taehyung looked hopeful that Jungkook would say no, because he hadn't received a text yet and he really hoped that if Yoongi reached out to anyone, it would be him and not Seokjin.

     "One I think, saying he was okay." Jungkook sat back up. "He hasn't texted you?"

     "No." Taehyung shrugged, "Guess he's been too busy."

     "You could do so much better than Yoongi, you know that right?" Jungkook frowned, he hated that his best friend was always suffering because of what Yoongi did ...or didn't do.

   "Sometimes the heart doesn't get to choose who it falls for." Taehyung groaned.

 

     After dropping Jungkook off, Seokjin spent the next few hours driving around, trying to clear his mind. His date with Jungkook hadn't gone like he planned, he knew he had ruined it, he hadn't meant to. For some reason when Jungkook had rejected him, it made him feel unwanted. He knew he was overreacting, but he couldn't shake it. He pulled into the parking lot at the beach where he was supposed to meet Yoongi in two minutes. He had every intent to go out and get this over with, but something pulled at his heart as he watched Yoongi's silhouette standing by the water's edge.

     Yoongi turned his head to the side, eyeing Seokjin from his peripheral vision as he walked over to join him.

     "I didn't think you were gonna come," Yoongi commented then turned his head back to the water.

     "I almost didn't, but not for reasons you think." Seokjin stood next to him, staring at the same horizon. He couldn't bring himself to look at Yoongi.

     "I saw the council." Yoongi picked up a shell and looked at it. "I was deranked. A deserter deemed unworthy of the vampire title." He scoffed, throwing the shell in. "I didn't think it would hurt this much."

     "I'm sorry." Seokjin glanced at him quickly and then back to the water.

     "I knew what I did would have consequences." He shrugged, "I got most of what I wanted, though."

     "Yoongi-"

     "It was one kiss in the heat of the moment-" He muttered, seeming to know what Seokjin was going to say.

     "I can't be around you for awhile."

     "It wasn't that big of a deal." Yoongi declared.

     "It was a big deal." Seokjin turned to him, staring at his lips, "Cato never bonded with anyone."

     "Okay?" Yoongi's forehead crinkled in confusion.

     "Think about that," Seokjin shook his head, hoping Yoongi would catch his drift, "It's just safer if I stay clear until I can get Cato out of my mind."

     "What does Cato's bonding situation have to do with..." Yoongi began to grasp the situation, his expression changed to surprise. "You mean you're in love with me?"

     Seokjin took a deep breath and stared back out at the water. "Yeah."

     "How can that happen?" Yoongi half laughed, he must be in a dream. "You're joking right?"

    "I didn't realize it until I walked out here tonight and saw you." Seokjin took a deep breath, his voice was shaky, "Or maybe I did."

     "You can't tell me something like that and then just turn around and say you can't be around me."

     Seokjin looked at him, weakening. "Namjoon thinks if I can break this mind thing, then it will break the bond."

     "What if it doesn't?" Yoongi moved a few steps closer, but Seokjin backed up. "What if it takes away the bond you have with Jungkook instead?"

     "No. Shut up." Seokjin turned back to the water. "I'll work through this."

     "You haven't even tried to fight Cato's influence." Yoongi reminded him, getting flustered.

     "Well, now I have no choice." Seokjin sighed, "I just thought you should know why I was avoiding you."

     "That's not fair, I've had to endure this for awhile. Alone-" Yoongi stopped, this was too much for him to handle right now, he sounded like a desperate idiot.

     "You said you were over that-"

     "I've said a lot of things." Yoongi admitted, turning back to the water, "I'm not going out of my way to avoid you, you're my fucking best friend."

     "You have to." Seokjin grabbed Yoongi by the shoulders.

     "I don't have to do shit." Yoongi pushed Seokjin's hands off.

     "Just keep your twisted fantasies away from me," Seokjin yelled back, walking away.

     "Fuck you," Yoongi called after him.

 

     Harley was in the kitchen with Hoseok, learning how to cook, from her standpoint, it was more like observing the steps to make some sort of stew. He cut up some carrots and threw them in, peeking in to check the water level. Harley liked the way his nose crinkled up when he was concentrating.

     "Is stew your specialty?" Harley peeked into the pot. "What kind of meat is that?"

     "One question at a time," Hoseok set the lid on and shoo'ed her away from the hot contents. "It's deer, they can't seem to get enough of it around here."

     "I know." She pouted and scooted her butt up onto the counter, leaning her back against the wall, Hoseok looked at her, displeased. "What?"

     "So Demetrius left us?" Hoseok went back to his pot stirring in the last of the vegetables, ignoring the fact that her butt was in the same place he worked with food, before also remembering that he cut monkey brains in the very same spot.

     "Yeah, he wanted to start a new life." Harley shrugged, "But we text so it's not a big deal."

     Jungkook walked into the room and slammed his book down on the table, causing them both to jump.

     "Issues?" Hoseok asked him, eyebrow raised.

     Jungkook pulled out the chair and sat. "I just want to be around people for a bit." He grabbed his earphones and stuck them in, pressing play on the music app in his phone then picking up his book.

     Taehyung walked in to grab a water from the fridge and Hoseok and Harley looked at him, then exchanged glances giving each other the 'you ask him' expression.

     "What's wrong with Jungkook?" Harley asked him, shooting Hoseok an 'I'm braver than you face'. 

     "He's agitated." Taehyung turned to her, opening the water.

     "Oh really, I couldn't tell." Hoseok gave him a look of utter disbelief. "Why?"

     Taehyung leaned against the counter, taking a sip of water, he glanced at Jungkook, wondering if it was his business to say. "Jimin overheard something today."

     "Your brother is becoming the bane of my existence." Hoseok set the spoon down on the counter rather hard. "What did he overhear?"

     "I'm not sure I should be the one telling you this." Taehyung set his water down on the counter, "It's none of our business."

     "Since when did you get moral on us?" Hoseok frowned.

     Taehyung had no good reply to that, "He didn't hear it all, but from what he gathered, Cato hadn't bonded with anyone." Taehyung sighed.

     "He often talked about not getting attached to anyone and we never understood why, I mean I do now-"

     "What's that have to do with anything?" Hoseok interrupted her.

     "Seokjin has Cato's mind, think about it." Taehyung hinted.

     "Wait, what?" Hoseok glanced at Jungkook then back to Taehyung. "So Seokjin is bonded to someone else too?"

     "Maybe, but not just someone." Taehyung looked suddenly sad. "Yoongi-"

     "Get the fuck out of here." Hoseok refused to believe such craziness. "That's an awful big leap to make."

     "Well, that's why he's annoyed and not raging." Taehyung picked up his water again. "But, he texted Jungkook like ten minutes ago, he was with Yoongi-"

     "Poor Jungkook," Harley frowned.

     "I'm done with it all," Taehyung announced with an unconvincing tone. Taehyung walked towards the door, nearly bumping into Yoongi as he strolled in.

     "Taehyung!" Yoongi uttered.

     "Nice to see you're alive." Taehyung pushed past him and walked out of the room, leaving Yoongi standing there wondering what he did. He turned and chased after him, grabbing his arm to stop him as Taehyung set his first foot on the step.

     "What did I do?" Yoongi swung him around.

     "I'm going to ask you this straight up, no lies or bullshit." Taehyung looked at Yoongi and he nodded. "Are you still in love with Seokjin?"

     Jungkook stood in the doorway, listening, staring at the back of Yoongi's head.

     "Tae-"

     "Just answer the question, it's not a hard one." Taehyung then repeated it, "Are you still in love with Seokjin?"

     "Yes." Yoongi replied then looked down at the floor for a moment, no sense in denying it. "It doesn't matter, though."

     "Yeah, I think it does." Taehyung's voice was elevated and Yoongi felt terrible.

     "Nothing will happen, what are you worried about?"

     "Well now that Seokjin is also bonded to you," Taehyung was miserable. "I think I have a fair amount to be worried about."

     "How did you know about that?" Yoongi was stunned, he didn't think Seokjin would just announce that to anyone.

     "So it's true." Jungkook stepped out from the doorway, Yoongi turned to him.

     "Yeah, but it's not like you have to be concerned, he wants to forget I exist until he figures out all this Cato shit." Yoongi turned back to Taehyung, "So you can go fuck off now."

      Jungkook was about to hit him.

      "Why are you here?" Taehyung leaned against the wall, not looking at him.

     "I came back to see you." Yoongi stood on the first step, leaning against the railing, facing him.

     "Why?" Taehyung felt drained, he glanced at Yoongi standing there.

      "Because I like you-"

     "I don't believe you." Taehyung shook his head, turning to walk up the steps, Yoongi watched as he disappeared from his sight.

     "Where's Seokjin now?" Jungkook asked, staring at him.

     "Maybe you should keep better track of your boyfriend." Yoongi walked off up the stairs, leaving Jungkook clenching his jaw in disgust.

     The front door opened and Seokjin walked in, stopping as Jungkook turned to him, a huge smile spread across the younger's face. "Hey." Seokjin called out as he shut the door.

     "Seokjin, I'm sorry I was an ass earlier-"

     "You weren't, I was." Seokjin walked over. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like shit."

     Jungkook grabbed Seokjin by the back of his neck and pulled him in, planting a kiss right on Seokjin's lips, surprising him a bit. "Can I make up for it?" Jungkook asked, positioning his hands on the elder's waist.

     "Are you okay?" Seokjin thought for a moment he was dreaming.

     "I want you." Jungkook kissed Seokjin's lips, making the elder feel weak. "Really bad."

     Seokjin wasn't quite convinced that Jungkook wasn't up to something, maybe they would get back to his room and he'd tie him up and leave him there, coming back every so often to tease him and then leave just as quick. His heart skipped a beat nevertheless and he found himself pushed up against the wall of his bedroom with Jungkook's exploring every inch of his body, moments later. 

     "You want to top for a change? It's been awhile." Jungkook smirked, dragging Seokjin to the bed and pushing him down. Seokjin had not even registered what Jungkook had just said, the younger had him pinned down to the bed making him feel things, Jungkook knew all the right spots to tease.

      Jungkook had the lube on the nightstand ready to go and before he knew it, the younger was inside of him. Seokjin's sudden moans made Jungkook even more excited, but he didn't want to be too rough. He liked when they took their time, getting lost in each other instead of just pounding away. He pinned Seokjin's hands above his head, clasping fingers, looking into his eyes, his soul. Seokjin's eyes were gleaming, the elder would close them every few seconds, feeling such intense pleasure that another moan would escape his mouth. Jungkook pushed into him, sucking down on his neck, biting into his skin just enough to leave indents. Seokjin loved when Jungkook used his teeth.

     "I'm close," Seokjin whispered in between gasping for air. He was fighting it hard, but with Jungkook looking into his eyes so intensely, it made him feel things, physical things, it took every ounce of concentration to hold himself back.

     "You're beautiful." Jungkook smiled at him, he was overcome with an immense feeling of love for the elder, his stomach was filled with a fluttering, matched only with the pounding of his quickened heartbeat.

     Seokjin pulled Jungkook's head down, touching lips with the younger, their tongues dancing together. He ran his claws up Jungkook's back, making the younger arch his back, causing him to push straight up into Seokjin's prostate. It was all over at that moment, they both came within seconds of each other. Jungkook collapsed onto the elder's sweaty chest, breathing heavy, trying to catch his breath.

     "Jesus." Jungkook rolled off, taking in a deep breath. Seokjin smiled. He entwined his fingers with the younger's and closed his eyes.

 

     Jungkook's hunger for Seokjin was apparent after the third time that night, in the shower, almost breaking the glass of the shower door. Seokjin was worn out, he had never been worn out before, not even after fighting. He fell asleep quickly and slept for 10 hours straight, being surprised by breakfast in bed sometime near lunch. 

     "Why are you being so nice?" Seokjin took a bite of his toast and side-eyed Jungkook who was standing at the window, staring outside.

     "I need a reason?" Jungkook turned to him, "How about because I love you." He walked over and sat on the bed next to Seokjin grabbing the other piece of toast and taking a large bite. "You need to be at full strength, we're heading down into the tunnels today."

     "When was this decided?" 

     "Hoseok and Namjoon just informed us. We need to meet down in the lab in twenty." Jungkook stood and walked to the door, "Hurry up and eat."

     Seokjin smiled as Jungkook left the room. He reached over and grabbed his pants, cracking his back. He pushed the food tray away and stood, slipping them on. He snagged his shirt from the chair and walked out of the room, running into Yoongi in the hallway.

     "Thought for sure Jungkook would be mad when he found out, not making you scream his name in the middle of the night," Yoongi commented walking past him.

     "Found out what?" Seokjin stopped, slipping on his shirt, Yoongi turned back to him. "You told him about the bond?"

     "No. Not me." Yoongi spat, "Don't worry, I let the little shit know you weren't interested. You're welcome."

     Yoongi traipsed down the stairs, peeved at himself for even falling for his best friend in the first place, now Taehyung was mad at him and he really needed a distraction right now. _Distraction. No wonder he's pissed at you._ Yoongi sighed, this trip today was going to be a barrel of laughs, trodding through the tunnels with a murderous beast, Seokjin who was trying to avoid him, and Jungkook and Taehyung who both hated him right now...all together in a small area.

     Yoongi pushed open the lab door, convinced they would leave him there to fend off the creature, alone. Taehyung looked up just long enough to see who it was and then went back to modifying the flashlight he had in front of him.

     "Where's Jungkook and Seokjin?" Hoseok asked, lifting his lab goggles off his head.

     "Dunno." Yoongi leaned against the table, looking at Taehyung. "So what's the plan for today?"

     "Go in, see if it really is under Seokjin's control, if not kill it." Hoseok stood, taking off his rubber gloves. "No sense in dawdling."

     Seokjin walked in, followed by Jungkook. Yoongi turned away, staring at the skeleton model in the corner, cursing everything.

     "When do we leave?" Seokjin asked, glancing at the back of Yoongi's head, he would be lying if he said his heart didn't speed up a bit. He had to control this. He was determined to concentrate on anything besides Yoongi. Instead, he focused on the first thing he saw and was appalled at the sight before him, whatever this mess was that Hoseok had been working on. "The fuck is that?" Seokjin poked at the charred toad on the table.

     "Not important." Hoseok opened the cabinet next to the skeleton, taking out a case that held four sets of tranquilizer guns and several darts already filled with a yellow colored substance. "If you can't control this thing, you're going to have to kill it."

     "Seems a bit abrupt." Seokjin walked over and took one of the guns and checked the chamber. "But whatever."

     Hoseok held out one to Yoongi, then set the rest on the lab table. "I suggest you take Jimin, put him to use outside the house for a change."

     "I heard that." Jimin peeked his head in from the ceiling, then floated down to join them. "Do I get a gun too?"

     "Sure when you get a body to go with it," Yoongi grumbled.

     "Leave my brother alone." Taehyung snapped. Yoongi glanced at him, surprised.

     "You can scout, tell them where it's hiding," Hoseok advised, poking Jimin's translucent flesh.

 

     The tunnels were just as smelly as they all remembered, Taehyung and Jungkook made fart jokes as they all took out their headlamp flashlights from their backpacks and slipped them on, everyone but Yoongi who could see almost perfectly in the dark. Seokjin adjusted the headlight on Jungkook's head, snickering at how ridiculous they all looked.

     Yoongi stuck the gun in his belt, looking off down the tunnels. He watched as Jimin floated ahead of them.

     "We should split up, you and Yoongi go that way and Seokjin and I this way-" Jungkook started, turning to Taehyung.

     "I'm not going with him." Taehyung piped in, crossing his arms over his chest like a three-year-old in mid-tantrum.

     "Well, he can't go with me." Seokjin pointed out.

     "Fuck you both, I'll fucking go alone." Yoongi shooked his head and pushed past Jungkook, knocking him off balance.

     Seokjin sighed, "Go with him, I'll go with Taehyung." Seokjin suggested and before Jungkook could protest, Seokjin kissed him.

     "Seokjin-"

     "Just don't shoot him." He kissed Jungkook again and then grabbed Taehyung's arm, pulling him the opposite way and off down the tunnel. Jungkook took a deep breath, rolling his eyes, running to catch up to Yoongi.

     The two of them stayed silent for a good five minutes, determined not to be nice to each other. They just walked along, staring ahead, pretending they wouldn't feed each other to this monster if given the opportunity.

     "What exactly did you think we would do down here?" Yoongi broke the silence, annoyed.

     "I don't trust you," Jungkook stuck his gun in his belt. "I'm sure you're happy about this bond."

     "Yeah, thrilled." Yoongi didn't hide his sarcastic tone.

     Jungkook merely shook his head, scoffing. "Right."

     Yoongi stopped short peering down at the small dip in the tunnel floor, it looked to be about a 3-foot drop that split the cave into two sections. He jumped off the large step, looking left and right, then back up at Jungkook. "Which way?"

     "Left." Jungkook jumped down. Yoongi started heading down the right side tunnel. _Seriously?_ "We're not supposed to go alone."

     "So then follow." Yoongi continued down the tunnel and Jungkook hurried his pace to catch up, so ready to be done with this guy. Yoongi stopped several feet up as he came to a giant slime splat on the floor, covering over half the width of the tunnel. Jungkook slipped on some as he halted behind Yoongi. "Careful, it might be close."

 

     Seokjin and Taehyung followed close behind Jimin, Taehyung kept nervously clicking the safety on and off.

     "All this thing needs to do is follow the sound of your clicking." Jimin expressed as he stuck his head through the stone wall.

     "Sorry." Taehyung stuck the gun in his belt, readjusting his head light to shine it on a hole that was about twenty feet ahead of them, the same hole that Seokjin had found it in the last time he was down here.

     Seokjin stopped, taking out his gun. "You should be going with Yoongi and Jungkook, if I can control this thing, then Taehyung and I are safer than they are."

     "Maybe if we're lucky it will eat him," Taehyung mumbled under his breath.

     "Don't say that," Seokjin warned him.

     "Why, are you enjoying all the extra attention?" Taehyung snorted, heading towards the hole.

     "No, but it's not his fault."

     Taehyung stopped to turn to him, "Not his fault? He's in love with you Seokjin, how is that not his fault?"

     "I mean the bond-"

     "You're an idiot." Taehyung continued to walk.

     "I get that your mad, but I didn't ask for this to happen."

     "Yeah well, what did you think would happen when you drain someone that strong?" Taehyung shook his head, "This isn't the place to discuss this."

     "Give him a break, it's not like he's pursuing me." Seokjin pushed Taehyung against the wall to stop him. "He's trying with you."

     "Yeah, because he likes me." Taehyung huffed sarcastically, "Blah blah blah." 

     "He's having a hard time, maybe instead of being a selfish asshole, you should be there for him," Seokjin advised, noticing Jimin was no longer with them.

     "I'm not going to be someone's second choice." Taehyung stepped into the hole. "Just shut up Seokjin, you don't fucking understand."

     Seokjin stepped inside after him, the place was filled with dried, cracking slime, it was obvious the creature had not been here in awhile. "Shit."

  

     Yoongi turned just as Jimin swooped down and passed through him, chuckling too loud. Yoongi shuddered, feeling a sudden coldness numbing his insides. 

     "Boo," Jimin yelled and turned back around to face them.

     "Shithead." Yoongi scolded him and Jimin just laughed harder.

     "What are you doing?" Jungkook swatted at him. "Shut up."

     "Seokjin said I should come be with you guys."

     "Does Seokjin want an ass-kicking?" Yoongi yelled up at him, miffed.

     "Have you seen the giant slime pit back there?" Jimin asked twirling in circles.

     "Shut up Jimin." Yoongi berated him. Jimin would surely give away their position if he didn't stop with his antics.

     A sudden thump made him sway sideways as the ground shook. Jimin stopped moving and they both looked down the tunnel, Jungkook switched off his light and plastered his body against the wall.

    "Oh crap, it's here," Jungkook murmured over the low growling that sounded from the darkness. Yoongi glanced at him, then up at Jimin.

     "Go get Seokjin," Yoongi ordered.

     "Okay." Jimin nodded, floating off, through the wall.

     "It's close," Yoongi whispered. Jungkook drew his tranquilizer gun and made sure it was loaded and ready. Yoongi scanned the area with his vampire vision, seeing the infrared outline of a large cold-blooded beast toddling towards them.

     "Can you see it?" Jungkook tried scanning too but saw nothing.

     "It's coming this way." Yoongi held his finger up to his mouth, "Shhh, wait for Seokjin."

     The creature roared out and they both covered their ears. "It's going to eat us." Jungkook screamed out.

     "Shut up," Yoongi shouted, glancing at Jungkook. When he turned back around, he was standing face to face with the giant teeth of the creature. "Shit."

     Yoongi pulled the gun from his belt as the creature snapped his jaws, Jungkook grabbed Yoongi's shirt, pulling him backward just in time to avoid getting his head ripped off, making Yoongi drop his gun in the muck below. 

     "Run!" Jungkook yelled and took off running, Yoongi didn't have time to retrieve his gun, he turned tail and followed after the younger, full speed back down the tunnel where they came from.

     The creature followed, stomping along, each step it took shook the tunnel floor. They reached the step to the main tunnel, Jungkook proceeded up first, turning and holding out his hand to Yoongi to pull him up, but Yoongi missed his hand and tripped, landing on his face in the wetness. Just as he turned over, wiping the sludge from his face, he found himself once again facing a row of sharp teeth as the creature stood over top of him. Jungkook ripped the gun off his belt, aiming it between the creature's eyes as the creature grabbed Yoongi by the foot and pulled him backward, his scream echoed through the tunnels as its teeth crunched into the bone.

     "Shoot it." Yoongi yelled, trying to pry his foot out of its mouth as he now hung upside down staring at the creature's abdomen.

     "Don't shoot." Seokjin's voice called out and Jungkook turned to see Seokjin and Taehyung running up the tunnel towards them. "Hey," Seokjin yelled to the creature, "Drop him."

     The creature stopped and watched as Seokjin slowly approached him, his hand held up as if he was trying to tame it into submission. It dropped Yoongi and he scurried out of the way, holding his ankle, his palm was already covered in blood. The stinging brought tears to his eyes.

     "Are you okay?" Taehyung held out his hand and Yoongi looked up at him, grabbing it, Taehyung pulled him up to stand.

     "Thanks." Yoongi looked towards Seokjin, leaning against the wall to steady himself. "I'll live."

     "You understand me, don't you?" Seokjin spoke softly and the creature tilted his head, listening to him. Seokjin kept his hand held up, inching closer to the creature. Reaching out, he touched its snout and it flinched back, growling. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." Seokjin reached out once again, running his hand over its nose, it made a strange squeaking noise.

     "Be careful," Jungkook said in a low voice, he didn't want to alarm the creature and have it bite Seokjin's arm off.

     "How would you like to go someplace safer than this? Where you can have your own cave and tunnels where no one will bother you?" Seokjin smiled at it, he felt a little weird talking to it like it was a baby.

     "Keep talking, it's working," Taehyung called out.

     A small popping noise thrummed from the creature's throat, Seokjin was besieged with sudden memory flashes, not his own, but bits of Cato’s consciousness flickering before his eyes. Seokjin's irises alternated between black and brown as he peered into its oculus, fighting off Cato as he tried to burst through and take over. _This could be used for so much more Seokjin, think of the possibilities._ Seokjin removed his hand from the creature's face and glanced over at Yoongi. _He is ideal for you, a perfect match to your personality, why do you deny his affections? Y_ oongi felt a sudden pang in his chest as Seokjin's gaze pierced his soul.

     "You should tell it not to harm anyone else while it's down here." Taehyung's voice broke Seokjin's concentration, the elder turned his attention back to the creature, startled at how intently the creature was focused on him, almost as if were under some sort of captivation spell, Seokjin's presence was enchanting it.

     "Don't eat anyone, I will be back in a few days to get you. Stay in your hole for now." Seokjin took a deep breath, knocking it's noggin affectionately. "Go."

     The creature let out a soft growl and then turned and scampered back down the tunnel.

     "Seokjin the beast tamer." Taehyung took a deep breath, "Holy shit."

     Yoongi observed Seokjin as Jungkook wrapped his arm around him, he was getting a vibe from him that said he had plans for this creature and it didn't include some supernatural zoo.

 

     Later that night, Seokjin and Yoongi were standing in front of Namjoon's desk, not saying a word to each other, Namjoon was on his way and they had been asked to wait in there for him. The silence was almost deafening and Yoongi couldn't handle it anymore, he needed to ask Seokjin what happened in the tunnels.

     "Seokjin." Yoongi addressed him, glancing over. 

     "What?" Seokjin just continued to stare ahead.

     "I saw the look in your eyes in the tunnels, it wasn't just you in there the whole time."

     "So?" Seokjin turned to him.

     "So, you're going to stand here in front of Namjoon and lie?"

     "What lie?" Seokjin smirked. 

     "What the fuck are you planning?" Yoongi was alarmed.

     "Yoongi," Seokjin grabbed him by the front of the shirt and pushed him to the wall, but not in an anger, it was more like he was teasing him, trying to get a reaction from him. "We could do this together, forget all about this place."

     "What the hell is wrong with you?" Yoongi pushed him back.

     "Just a suggestion." Seokjin smiled and went to sit on the chair in front of Namjoon's desk, propping his feet up on the desk, he glanced over at him.

     "So much for fighting Cato."

     "He can't fight me, he's not nearly as strong as I am." Seokjin tilted his head when Yoongi looked at him, eyes narrowed.

     "Cato?"

     "I'm just fucking with you, lighten up." Seokjin laughed and laid his head back.

     "Yeah, funny." Yoongi remarked, he knew this was not Seokjin messing with him...but, he might as well play along, maybe find out what Cato had planned next, maybe enjoy it a little more than he should. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to leave this place."

     Seokjin sat up and looked at him, a seriousness washed over his face. "Really?"

     "Yeah, I mean we talked about this before, why not just freakin' go." Yoongi smiled and sat on the edge of the desk in front of him.

      Namjoon walked in and Yoongi quickly stood, facing him. "Sorry," Namjoon muttered as he walked to his desk.

     "We haven't been waiting long," Seokjin smirked, watching as Namjoon took his seat.

     "So what's the story, can the creature be tamed?" Namjoon asked.

     "Yeah." Seokjin leaned up, "It's under my control."

      Namjoon looked at Yoongi who nodded. "So then we can move it?"

     "We could do many things with it." Seokjin stood, something dark stirring inside of him. He had to fight back the urge to grab Namjoon up and beat the life from him.

     "Yeah, anyway, we need to go discuss the next move with Hoseok, you need anything else?" Yoongi asked, grabbing Seokjin's shirt and pushing him towards the door.

      "Everything okay?" Namjoon stood.

     "Yeah." Yoongi shook his head no. "I'll touch base with you later."

     Namjoon watched Seokjin open the door. "Of course."

     Yoongi and Seokjin walked out and Yoongi stopped him in the hallway, "You're a dumbass for being some great warlord. No wonder all your plans failed."

     "He doesn't suspect a thing." Seokjin smiled, ignoring the obvious jab Yoongi had just verbally assaulted him with,  "He's too busy with whatever the hell he does all day."

     "Nevertheless, you need to calm yourself, Cato." Yoongi grabbed his arm and they started walking.

     "Don't call me that, I'm Seokjin now, for all anyone knows." Seokjin stopped to admire a painting on the wall. "This looks familiar."

     "Is Seokjin even in there still?" Yoongi asked, looking out into the foyer, no one was around. 

     "He's...sleeping." Seokjin walked out into the foyer and spun around, studying the walls full of photos. "This isn't half bad. I could get used to this."

     "Well don't get too used to it, we're leaving."

     "You really want to go?" Seokjin turned to him.

     "Yeah, I have a house, we can hang there for awhile."

     "What about the little shithead?" Seokjin looked up towards the stairs. "He's not going to let us leave."

     "I'll handle Jungkook, go get your shit, I'll bring the car around." Yoongi pushed him towards the stairs, "Hurry." 

     Seokjin strolled over to the stair and sauntered up them, running his hand up the railing as he went.

     Yoongi rolled his eyes. "Fucking idiot." He muttered under his breath. Yoongi watched him walk into his bedroom and then quickly turned to go back to Namjoon's office, walking inside.

     "What the hell is going on?"

     "I don't have a lot of time, I'm taking him to my house, it's not Seokjin."

     "Cato has taken over?" Namjoon walked to him, alarmed.

     "Seokjin is still in there, but if I don't go with him, he's going to take off alone and no one's going to know what he's up to."

     "Yoongi-"

     "Just let Jungkook know what's happening so he doesn't try to find us," Yoongi ordered, a sense of urgency in his tone. "I'm sure once Seokjin gets a hold of himself again, I can work on helping him break this once and for all."

     "Keep in touch, let me know what's going on." Namjoon took a deep breath, he didn't like this one bit.

     "I know." Yoongi took a good look at Namjoon, regretting his life choices. "Wish me luck."

 

     "What do you mean he went off with Yoongi?" Jungkook shouted. Twenty minutes after Yoongi and Seokjin left, Namjoon had called him and Taehyung into his office to try to explain what was happening and Jungkook was pissed off.

     "It's not Seokjin right now-"

     "So why can't I be the one to help him."

     "Because you killed him..killed Cato, he's not going to trust you." Namjoon urged, "Let Yoongi help him."

     "He's bonded to him-" Jungkook felt like he was going to cry, or rip the whole office apart.

     Namjoon placed his hands on the younger's shoulders, "Trust him."

     Jungkook looked at him like he had lost his mind, "Trust Yoongi?" Jungkook let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I'll trust him. Good one."

     "Yoongi is not going to put the moves on him, he wants Seokjin back just as much as you do-"

     "Yeah, I'm sure he does." Jungkook leaned against the wall, noticing the sun was setting through the window behind Namjoon. "Where did they go?"

     "I can't tell you that, I'm sorry."

     Jungkook was distraught, this could not be happening, he was convinced that he was about to lose Seokjin to Yoongi. He looked over at Taehyung who was sitting on the couch, his head pointed down to the rug, examining it...avoiding eye contact. "What if Yoongi makes him stay like Cato, just so he can have-"

     "Jungkook, you're being irrational." Namjoon interrupted him, "Yoongi would never want Seokjin like that."

     "Well, I can't exactly trust your judgment on anything." Jungkook opened the door and left. Taehyung looked up at Namjoon, then stood and followed.

 

     Jungkook paced the kitchen floor as Taehyung filled Hoseok and Harley in on what was going on. Harley gasped and had to sit down.

     "Where would they go?" Hoseok put his hand on Harley's shoulder and squeezed, "You think to that house?"

     "No, Yoongi isn't dumb," Taehyung assured him.

     "The beach?" Jungkook thought aloud, "They always go to the beach."

     "Too predictable, it would be the first place we'd look." Taehyung pointed out.

     "Okay, not to sound like the odd man out here, but what if-" Hoseok started, noticing the contortions that Jungkook's face was making. "Maybe Yoongi can help him." He finished and braced himself to be hit.

     "Are you kidding me?" Jungkook growled.

     "Yoongi is the kind of person that likes to win the right way, not by some cheap tactic." Hoseok reminded him.

     "It should be me with him." Jungkook snapped.

 

     Yoongi unlocked the door to his house, reaching over to turn on the light. He pushed the door open. "It's not much, but it'll do."

     Seokjin walked in, casing the place, taking everything in. "It's fine, though I will want to be relocating to my estate as soon as I can."

     "Of course." Yoongi shut the door and peered out the window to make sure they weren't followed. He hung his key on the hook next to the door and walked over to the bar, he poured himself a drink and drank it down in one swift motion. "You want one?"

     Seokjin walked over and grabbed the bottle, taking a long swig. "It's been awhile since I've done this." He smiled, "I feel like I'm young again."

     "Yeah, well young one, what do you plan to do with Seokjin?" Yoongi took the bottle back and drank some, sitting on the bar stool.

     "You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Seokjin sat next to him. "Before or after world domination?"

     Yoongi didn't know whether he was kidding or not, but by the evil look in his eyes, he was going with 'not kidding'. "How far you think you're gonna get with no army?"

     "I have a lifetime to build one back up." Seokjin bit his lip, staring at Yoongi's mouth. "It's been awhile for me-"

     Yoongi knew right away he was talking about sex, but there was no way he was going to indulge him. "You don't even know me."

     "Seokjin has bonded with you, you're his best friend, past lover, I think I know enough." Seokjin leaned in, hovering just in front of Yoongi's trembling lips. "And you're in love with him."

     Yoongi cleared his throat and backed up, his heart racing. "I would rather not."

     Seokjin grabbed the back of Yoongi's head, he pulled him in for a kiss. Yoongi tried to fight it, but Seokjin was stronger and his lips felt so good, too good. He closed his eyes, reminding himself not to give in. Seokjin pulled away, "You want him, but still you fight it."

     "Do you want the couch or bed?" Yoongi stood, he needed to get away from this room. "I'm getting tired."

     "I can feel your heart." Seokjin took another swig of the bottle, slamming it back down on the top of the bar. 

     "You can have the couch, it's more comfortable anyway." Yoongi closed his eyes, trying to calm his heartbeat down. "Good night."

     Seokjin watched Yoongi walk off down the hallway. His loud sigh filled the room as he stood and shuffled over to the couch, he untied his boots and kicked them off, sitting down. His phone vibrated and he took it out, looking at the name. 'Kookie'. "Kookie. Why not." He opened the text: **Seokjin, where are you?**

 **You didn't think that would work, did you?** He texted, laying back. He adjusted the pillow as he stared down at the screen amused.

      **He won't let you shut me out**. Jungkook texted back.

     **Seokjin isn't here. Yoongi is though.** Seokjin smiled as he sent the text back, he knew exactly what these words would do.

     **Seokjin doesn't want Yoongi.**

**Like I said, Seokjin isn't here now. Sweet dreams.**

  Jungkook threw his phone clear across the room, screaming out.. _Why didn't you fight harder Seokjin, you son of a bitch!_ He tipped his dressed over and watched as it hit the ground with a loud thud. He ripped the lamp off the nightstand and picked the nightstand up and threw it through the window, the crashing sound of the glass rang through his ears.

 _Why wouldn't you fight Cato?_ He kicked the door and banged his fists against it, his knuckles split open, leaving blood stains on the wood. He leaned his head against the door, closing his eyes. _You just had to fight it._ He turned to lean against the door, wiping the frustrated tears from his eyes as he slid down the door and landed on his ass on the floor. He buried his face in his hands and just sat there, his whole body hurting, the blood from his hands now staining his sleeves. _God_   _Damn you._

 

* * *

Sorry this took so long, for some reason this chapter was hard. Plus, I had too many distractions (both family and BTS) haha  Thanks so much for reading this far, I love you all!!  Also, an extra thank you for all the comments, they really do keep me writing!!!


	44. Getting Seokjin Back

 

MATURE CONTENT

* * *

     

     Jungkook had had enough, he was ready to drag Seokjin back kicking and screaming and beat him until Cato decided to purge himself from Seokjin's mind. He was mad at himself for destroying his room during his fit of rage last night, but no one came up and told him to simmer down, so this sort of thing was probably expected of anyone in this position. He pulled his dresser back up, sliding it back against the wall and set his belongings back on top. He shuffled over and picked the lamp from the planter and looked to where his nightstand used to be. _Shit._ He walked to the window and looked down onto the grass below his window, his nightstand was nowhere to be seen. "What the hell?"

     "Looking for this?"

     Jungkook turned to see the mysterious stranger standing next to his nightstand which was neatly placed back in its spot. He froze, "Oh God, don't kill me." Jungkook backed up, thumping against the wall with his back, unable to pass through it as hard as he tried. He held the lamp up like it was a baseball bat, determined to swing for his life if he was forced to.

     "I'm not going to kill you." The figure walked over and took the lamp from him. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to come back here."

     "So why did you?" Jungkook watched him set the lamp down on the nightstand. "Who the hell are you?"

     "My name is Sebastian Ivanov, I'm Noni's son."

     Jungkook got chills, tiny little goose pimples popped up on his skin. "Noni's son?"

     "Yes." Sebastian held up his hand and Jungkook gawked at it, reluctantly shaking it. "You're going to need my help."

     "With what?" Jungkook was in a stupor, half weirded out over the fact that the stranger was Noni's son and half confused because he couldn't imagine why he would need Sebastian's help.

     "I was hoping that Seokjin was strong enough to work through this already." Sebastian sighed, holding his hand up to the window and giving it a light wave. The glass floated upwards from the ground and came together with the wood from the broken pane and rearranged itself back in place, a silvery light flashed and the window was mended. It was as good as new except for a dime-sized sliver of glass that was missing near the middle.

     "How did you do that?" Jungkook was in awe, convinced that this was some next level magic.

     "My parents were witches, it's an easy spell." Sebastian looked around the room, "Do you have a piece of Seokjin's clothing or something he owns?"

     "Yeah." Jungkook walked over to the bed, he grabbed Seokjin's pillow and handed it to Sebastian, watching as he sniffed it in, closing his eyes. "Are you an empath?"

     "Yeah," Sebastian spoke, opening his eyes. "He's enjoying the power immensely. He didn't even try to fight it."

     "So he lied?"

     "Cato has a hold on him." Sebastian handed the pillow back to Jungkook, "He used Seokjin's need to feel strong against him, he's led him to believe that without that power, he would be too feeble to fight."

     "Can we get him back?" Jungkook's mood degraded down to melancholy, he was so mad at the elder last night and now, now he just wanted to do anything he could to get him back.

     "I think the question is, does he want to come back?" Sebastian groaned, his heart felt heavy as he inhaled Jungkook's pain like it was a scent drifting through the air. "Either way, Cato has to be taken care of."

     Jungkook's heart felt like it stopped, Sebastian's tone was remorseful, but he knew this man would kill Seokjin if he had to. "I know he can fight this."

     "I hope you're right." Sebastian glanced towards the door. "Keep me a secret for now."

     Jungkook looked at him, unable to control the strange look that popped up on his face, but before he could ask, a knock sounded on his door and Sebastian vanished, an audible pop rung in his ears as he spun around, wondering if he just hallucinated that whole thing.

     Taehyung opened the door, peeking his head in. "You alone?"

     "Y-yeah, just cursing Seokjin." He half smiled, stumped as to why Sebastian wanted him to keep the visit a secret.

     "Jimin's hanging around Namjoon's office, if Yoongi calls, we'll find out where they are." Taehyung picked a book up off the floor and set it on the dresser. "You okay?"

     "I think 'no' would be an understatement." Jungkook's shoulder sunk, he sat down on his window seat. "You?"

     "Meh, my situation has no comparison." Taehyung leaned against the dresser, pouting.

     "You still like him, you're allowed to feel something."

      "I'm pissed the fuck off." Taehyung spewed, he felt his face turn red. "I mean Seokjin has an excuse, if Yoongi gives in-" He stopped short, "I won't forgive him."

    

     Yoongi sat at the bar, watching Seokjin sleep. His mind wandered to Taehyung and how much hurt he was causing him. He had to stay strong, he had to remind himself that this was not Seokjin, this was an evil madman hell-bent on destroying everyone. Yoongi also needed to remind himself that Taehyung liked him and it was stupid to let him get away. He would never have Seokjin in that way and he needed to come to terms with that. He took out his phone and thought for a few moments, typing a text to Taehyung:  **Hey. Please don't give up on me.** He hovered over the send button for a few moments, taking a deep breath and exhaling slow. _Just send it._  He erased it and re-entered ' **HEY** ' Yoongi pushed send and laid his phone down on the bar.

      **Who is this?** Was his reply. "Not going to make it easy. Okay."

     **Someone who fucked up. But also someone who really likes you.** He was vulnerable right now, he hated being this way, but he refused to give up.

      **Oh. That's nice.** Came back.Yoongi shook his head as he read it several times in his mind.

      **I just need you to trust me. I'll get over him, I promise.**  Yoongi hit send.  _Ugh, that was lame._ He didn't expect Taehyung to text back and it took at least ten minutes before he did.

      **K.**  Was all it said. _K?  What the fuck do you mean, K?_ Yoongi wanted to scream.

      **Am I wasting my time Taehyung? If you want me to back off, just tell me.** Yoongi was about to throw his phone.  _K, for fuck sakes._ He knew the younger would not make it easy, but he didn't think it would be this hard.

     His phone buzzed and he opened the text.  **Get over him first and then come talk to me.**

Yoongi had hope, for the first time this week, he had hope. He smiled and pocketed his phone, there was no way he would let Taehyung down. Seokjin moaned and Yoongi turned his attention to his sleeping guest. Seokjin was either having an erotic dream or a terrible nightmare, he wasn't sure which way it was leaning towards yet. He stood and walked over, staring down at him, he was about to lay his hand on sleeping beauties shoulder, but withdrew it, unsure of which personality he would awaken, Seokjin or Cato.

     "Yoongi? Help me." Seokjin called out, still asleep, followed by more moaning, the kind of high pitched squeal you made when you were in pain. Yoongi bent down and shook Seokjin. 

     "Seokjin, wake up." Yoongi called out and shook him a little harder, "Seokjin."

     Seokjin opened his eyes and blinked several times, not recognizing where he was, Yoongi's face came into focus, "Yoongi?"

     "Seokjin?" Yoongi sat down on the coffee table, facing him, gazing into his eyes, trying to figure out who came through.

     "Where am I?" Seokjin sat up, putting his feet on the ground, rubbing his eyes.

     "You don't remember anything that happened yesterday?" Yoongi asked him, happy that Cato had not fully taken over, though he had to be careful what he said because Cato was still lurking in there.

     "Did we go to the tunnels?" Seokjin scanned the room, "This is your house."

     "Yeah we did and yeah it is." Yoongi grabbed the side of Seokjin's head, causing him to flinch, wondering what Yoongi was doing. He just glared into Seokjin's eyes, a little too close. "You don't remember anything because you were Cato yesterday-"

     "What?" Seokjin was shocked, "Cato?"

     Yoongi just nodded his head. Seokjin stood and lumbered over to the bar, he grabbed the bottle of vodka and gulped down a long sip, cringing at the taste.

     Yoongi stood. "You kind of lost it when you were trying to tame the creature."

     "Creature." Seokjin turned to him, "Is everyone okay?"

     Yoongi walked over and grabbed the bottle from him, tilting it up and letting the liquid flow down his throat. "Yeah."

     "Why am I here?" Seokjin grabbed the vodka back and sat.

     "Well I couldn't let you be alone like that, could I?" Yoongi knew Seokjin was about to ask about Jungkook, so he turned to walk away, but Seokjin grabbed his arm, he looked down surprised.

     "Thank you."

     "Sure." Yoongi didn't know what else to say.

     "It's probably better I stay away from everyone if this is happening." Seokjin figured, "I owe you."

     "Yup." Yoongi grabbed his shoes, feeling claustrophobic all of a sudden, "I'm going for a walk."

     Seokjin watched as he walked out the back door, he rubbed the back of his neck, it was tight, he was stressed out. On one hand, he knew it was better to be away from everyone, on the other hand, he also needed to be away from Yoongi, being near him was making him aware just how much he liked him, and Cato knew that too. Jungkook had to be going nuts, he hoped the younger understood. He strolled over to the couch and grabbed his phone off the arm and sat down, he struggled with whether he should text him and explain what was going on, tell him not to worry. He took a deep breath and typed out:  **Hey, I love you. It's better if I'm not near you right now, I don't want to hurt you. Please understand and don't worry about me.** He hit send, then thought for a moment, then typed in another message:  **I'm turning my phone off so don't try to reach me, I'm sorry. I love you so much!**

 

     Jungkook was occupying himself by raking out the old dead leaves in the cemetery, Namjoon said the leaves were piling up and no one else wanted to do it. Secretly, Jungkook was hoping to run into Sebastian again. His phone vibrated and he looked down.  _Seokjin_. He was not sure if he wanted to look at it or just ignore, he didn't need to see Cato bragging about having done things with Yoongi, he shuddered.  

     He read it and repocketed the phone, unsure of what to think. He feverishly raked out behind a tombstone, stopping for a moment when he realized there was now a small chunk of missing dirt. _Don't worry._ Fat chance, he had more to worry about now than he ever had in the past. He hated this, he just wanted everything to be normal, for Seokjin to be himself again, to come home and to live out their lives in the most boring way possible. He let out a frustrated scream into the air that reverberated well into the trees.

     Harley, who was approaching grasping a second rake, stopped quick, dropping her phone. Jungkook noticed her standing there frozen, half panicked. He walked over and picked up the phone and handed it to her. "Sorry." 

     "Need some help or do you wanna be alone?" She asked, taking the earbuds out of her ears.

     "Yeah to both." Jungkook answered and she started to walk away, "But you don't have to go, it's kind of nice to have a distraction."

     She smiled sympathetically, "Has he called?"

     "Just a text. He doesn't wanna come home until he has this figured out." Jungkook was bummed, like saying it out loud just made it all too real.

     "I'm sorry." Harley began to rake, thinking of a way to change the subject to something happier, "Hoseok is making steak for dinner." 

     He nodded, "What are you listening to?"

     Harley looked down at her phone, "Classical, it helps me think."

     

     Jimin was floating over the shelves in the library, watching Taehyung run his fingers along the spines of the various sized books, searching for a specific title. He would swoop down every so often to knock a book off the shelf and Taehyung would have to stop to pick it up and replace it, his grimace growing stronger with each book that hit the floor.

     "Do you mind?" Taehyung yelled at him, replacing the ninth book so far. "You're being annoying."

     "Tae, I have a favor to ask you." Jimin stopped and floated down, coming face to face with his brother.

     "You're going about it wrong then." Taehyung exhaled loudly, not quite a sigh, but enough to get the point of him losing his patience across.

     "I don't wanna be a ghost forever." Jimin's face was serious.

     "Okay, then don't be." He continued along the shelf.

     "I mean, I want to go to the other side-"

     "Leave here forever?" Taehyung's face sunk as he stopped and turned to his brother.

     "Well not now, but when you die, I don't want to be here alone, without you." Jimin floated up to grab a book from the top shelf and handed it down to Taehyung. "I want you to promise me that you'll make sure to have someone banish me from this place when that happens."

     "You're gonna make me cry." Taehyung smiled, looking at the book, it was the exact one he wanted.

     "Shut up," He whined and Taehyung laughed.

     Taehyung walked over to the table and set the book down and sat. He thumbed through the pages, pausing every few to read a few sentences. "Ugh, there has to be something in here that can tell me something-"

     "You think a demon possession manual is going to help you?"

     "It's about exorcism, I mean it has to be like the same thing, right?" Taehyung turned to page 76 and read the first few paragraphs to himself, his lips moving along to the words. "Priests, maybe we should try a priest."

     Jimin shook his head and floated off back to a bookshelf, "You need this." He grabbed a huge leather-bound encyclopedia and threw it to him, Taehyung caught it and almost fell off his chair.

      Taehyung read the title - 'Spellcasting Level 5.'  "I think this is a joke book."

     "You need a witch, a strong one-" Jimin suggested.

     "Namjoon's a witch now-"

     "No offense, but he hasn't mastered his downgrade yet." Jimin sat on the edge of the table. "He's popping off wrong spells all over the place lately."

     "We don't know any powerful witches." Taehyung looked at him, "Do we?"

     Jimin smirked, "You should ask Jungkook."

 

     Jungkook and Harley were having a war with the leaves, throwing handfuls at each other and ducking out of the way of any incoming projectiles. It looked like the trees had decided to shed everything at one time causing a huge leafy storm. Taehyung and Jimin were observing the ruckus from the gates.

     "This is the exact opposite of what you're supposed to be doing," Taehyung called out, scooping up a handful of leaves and dive-bombing Jungkook, knocking him down. Lucky for him, the pile he had raked earlier broke his fall.

     "You dick..." Jungkook yelled out, a huge grin sprawled across his mouth.

     "I shall avenge you!" Harley cried out, lunging towards Taehyung with a handful of her own, covering him within seconds. Jungkook howled with laughter. Revenge was sweet medicine.

     The scuffle preoccupied them for a good fifteen minutes as they all took turns in coming up with new ways to sneak bomb each other. Rolling around in the leaves with his friends was just what Jungkook needed...what they all needed to forget about all the bullshit for just a moment. The laughter was infectious, vibrating off the tombstones and filling up the afternoon with a splendor only merriment could portray.

     "Look, a leaf angel.." Jungkook flapped his arms and legs making an 'angel' in the pile, complete with a grassy skirt and dirt wings. Taehyung burst out laughing, the sight of Jungkook flailing his arms and legs about in nature's blanket was too much.

     "Oh my god, we need snow." Harley proclaimed, flinging herself backward, into what was left of the pile.

     Taehyung collapsed next to them, staring up at the fluffy white clouds. Their sides hurt from all the giggling.

     Jimin's smile turned evil almost in an instant, he began to spin around in a circle, slow at first then working up speed, causing a small tornado of leaves to form a funnel. He hovered there for a few moments, letting them realize what was going on.

     "No bro, don't do it." Taehyung scrambled to stand, running towards Jimin, Harley covered her head, laughing madly.

     "Jimin, do it." Jungkook called out and stood up, his hands stretched outward towards the sky, the wind from the leaf tornado blowing his hair wildly. "Let it go!" He yelled out, excited.

     Jimin stopped spinning and the gigantic heap of floating leaves came crashing down on them all, it covered Harley up like a blanket, she could have been swallowed up by a vortex and no one would know.

     Wooo," Harley shrieked from out of sight. "Yessss!"

     "Harley wins 'hide and seek' champion of the world." Jimin made a fake audience cheering sound with his voice.

     Taehyung stood by Jimin in silent disbelief, his hair looked like it was made of a wig full of leaf parts, his clothing saturated in twigs and foliage. "I hate you."

     "You look like a woodland fairy." Jungkook laughed, clutching his side.

     "Aha, nature is getting revenge for all the bunnies you and Hoseok consume." Jimin snickered.

     " Hoseok,"  A light flickered on in Taehyung's mind, he forgot that Hoseok was a witch, which made no sense, because the guy was always doing spells. "He's a witch-"

     "Good deduction." Jungkook rubbed his aching cheeks.

    Taehyung turned to Jimin, "Is Hoseok strong enough?"

     "Just ask him about Sebastian." Jimin looked over at Jungkook who snapped his head towards them.

     "How do you know about him-"

     "I have uncanny sneaking abilities," Jimin answered, proud.

     "More like you're a nosey shit." Taehyung corrected him.

     "Did you guys know him?"

    "We saw him a couple times when he was like 12, for some reason he lived with his dad and Noni didn't talk much about him." Taehyung began to pick the leaves from his t-shirt.

     "He's an empath like she was, he said Seokjin hasn't even tried to fight this Cato thing."

     "Can you trust him?" Harley asked, sitting up through the leaves like a corpse rising from the grave.

     "He wants to help, he's been following Seokjin and me around for a while apparently." Jungkook sat down on the grass, kicking at the leaves. "He's either going to help him or kill him."

     "He said that?" Harley gasped, she always seemed so shocked by everything.

     "He hinted it." Jungkook surmised. "I think he's stronger than Hoseok."

     "He is, even as a kid, he was always pretty talented with spells." Taehyung shook the remaining twigs from his hair, "There is this spell, it's something like an exorcism-"

     "He isn't possessed-" Jungkook exclaimed.

     "Well, he kind of is." Taehyung pointed out, "By Cato's spirit in a way."

     "I'm not so sure that's the same thing-" Jungkook surmised.

     "It isn't," Jimin agreed.

     "If Sebastian can pull the spirit out of him, then it's worth a shot."

     "I don't like the sound of that." Jungkook looked worried.

     "The biggest problem right now is that we don't even know where he is." Taehyung frowned, "Since he turned off his phone and Yoongi won't answer his either."

 

     Yoongi was skipping rocks on the lake, contemplating his whole life. Seokjin got tired of being inside, so he came outside to see what Yoongi was up to, determined to pop him out of whatever foul mood he was in. He stopped midway to the lake taking in the essence of sulking Yoongi, smiling to himself. Yoongi could feel his presence behind him and glanced over his shoulder.

     "What?" Yoongi asked, turning back to the lake.

     "I feel like you're debating whether to allow the lady of the lake to take you or not." Seokjin walked the rest of the way down to stand next to him.

     "I honestly don't know how I'm supposed to help you when I find it hard to be around you." Yoongi skipped another rock, but it flopped and he chucked the whole handful into the water, he was confounded and it frustrated the shit out of him.

     "Yoongi-" Seokjin could see the hurt in his friend's eyes and his heart broke. He wasn't even sure why he did it, but he reached his hand out, cupped Yoongi's face and kissed him. It was not the 'kiss your mother goodnight' kind of kiss either, Yoongi wanted to push him away and he even put his hands up to do so, but his body ached, he gave in and kissed him back.

      Yoongi broke away, looking into Seokjin's eyes. "Please tell me you're Cato right now."

     Seokjin shook his head, "Not Cato." He pulled Yoongi back in and kissed him again.

     Yoongi pushed him away, "What are you doing?"

      "What I feel." Seokjin's face was filled with lust and sorrow and Yoongi couldn't figure out which alarmed him more.

     "Stop." Yoongi decked him and Seokjin looked up at him from the wet sand, his spirit crushed. He licked the blood from his lip with his tongue. Yoongi pushed past him and plodded back up to the house, barging through the door and slamming it.

     Seokjin dabbed the rest of the blood from his mouth as he stood up and spit out a wad of red colored saliva, he looked out at the lake, smirking to himself.  _He wants you Seokjin, don't let him get away._  "Shut up." He chastised himself.

 

     Yoongi slammed back two shots of Vodka, pushing everything off the bar and slamming himself down into the stool. "FUCK!" He yelled, resting his head in the palms of his hands against the bar top.  _Calm down._

  Seokjin opened the door and Yoongi flinched at the sudden stream of sunlight piercing his eyes. Seokjin just stood in the doorway, staring at Yoongi liked he was going to take him to bed no matter how much he protested, Yoongi looked away, but Seokjin was on him the second he turned his neck, pulling him up to stand one moment and pushing him down on the couch the next, the second his head hit the pillow, Seokjin was on top of him, grinding his pelvis into Yoongi's, kissing his neck. Yoongi moaned out, a mixture of fury and eroticism, as Seokjin sucked down into his flesh. He tore the shirt from Seokjin's body, throwing it on the floor. His finger's found the button on Seokjin's jeans next, unhooking it. 

     "Oh god." Yoongi breathed heavy, "We-we can't do this-"

     Seokjin grinded against the tent that now stood firm in Yoongi's tight pants, "Why?"

      _Yeah, why?_ Yoongi was finding it hard to concentrate, he closed his eyes, trying to think of a reason, but his mind was preoccupied, he wanted this more than anything.  _Taehyung._ "What about Jung-"

     Seokjin quieted him with a kiss. A sensuous, amazing, perfect kiss. Yoongi's mind went blank.  _This is wrong._

"I can hear your thoughts Yoongi." Seokjin grinned. He pinned Yoongi's hands above his head. "This isn't wrong. This should have happened ages ago."

     Yoongi could not concentrate on forming coherent thoughts or being moral, Seokjin kept doing things to him, things that made him long for more. "Seokjin-"

     "Do you want me to stop?" Seokjin undid Yoongi's pants.

     _No._  His mind kept repeating. "Yes." Yoongi could not explain why this was turning him on so much, usually he had some form of control, but not here with Seokjin, it was like he was under his spell.

     "You lie," Seokjin noticed how hard Yoongi was, he reached down, but Yoongi grabbed his hand.

     "I can't." Yoongi used all of his self-control to push Seokjin off of him. He landed hard on the floor and sat up to glower at Yoongi.

     "You're the definition of a cock tease." Seokjin huffed. Yoongi stood and buttoned his pants.

     "This is wrong." Yoongi stormed out of the room and the sound of the shower coming on echoed from the bathroom.

      Seokjin grabbed his shirt from the floor and slipped it on, adjusting the boner that took residence in his pants, as he sat.

 

     Fifteen minutes later Yoongi walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed, brushing the wet hair from his eyes. He stopped short when he saw Seokjin sitting on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table, head back and staring at the ceiling.

     "I could have helped you with that." Seokjin looked over at him, Yoongi hated that he found Seokjin so fucking sexy, he wanted to scream.

     "We need to set some ground rules-" Yoongi pushed Seokjin's feet off the coffee table and sat down, the wood creaked from the weight of his body.

     "This is the part where you tell me we aren't allowed to have sex, right?" Seokjin stated, moving his feet over and placing them back on the table next to Yoongi. 

     "No sex." Yoongi continued on, "I'm not putting up with your bullshit, I can just let them kill you if you want."

     "I'm disappointed-"

     "You really want to hurt Jungkook like that?" Yoongi shook his head.

     "Maybe I like the bond we have better, did you ever think of that?" Seokjin's expression was pure disillusionment, he didn't feel like he should have to explain the reasons why he wanted Yoongi.

     "Well, now I know this isn't Seokjin-"

     "You don't know shit." Seokjin stood up, he sauntered over to the bar and picked up a bottle of rum and a glass. "So no fun, no feelings, no fucking." Seokjin poured himself some booze and drank it down, pouring another. "What are you supposed to be helping me with exactly?"

     Yoongi stood and turned to him. "You need to get rid of Cato's influence once and for all."

     Seokjin's expression was mocking Yoongi's existence, Yoongi had half a mind to punch him again, knock some sense into him, but there was also something extremely vulnerable about Seokjin at the moment. "Or what, Yoongi? What's your plan here?"

     "You don't have to be such a prick right now."

      "At least I'm not afraid." Seokjin grabbed the bottle and headed over to the door, "I'm going for a walk, maybe I'll come back later."

     Yoongi watched him walk out.  _I'd rather be scared then do something we'll regret later._

 

     Jungkook stared up at the moon from his window, it was full in two days and he had the itch to go deer 'hunting'. Anything to keep his mind off Seokjin. He kept checking his phone every hour to see if maybe the elder turned his phone on and sent him a message. He wanted to hear his voice so bad. He hated not knowing what was going on, he hated feeling like Seokjin would come home and tell him that he and Yoongi had... _No, stop. He wouldn't do that to you. He loves you._

     Seokjin was sitting on Yoongi's porch, staring up at the same moon. He tipped the empty bottle off of the railing and watched as it hit the ground and rolled down the grass towards the lake. He stared at the lake for a few moments before he stood and stumbled over to the edge. He tore off his shirt and threw it down on the ground, then slipped off his pants, standing there in his boxers. He waded out until he was at waist level in the water, splashing about with his arms, making a commotion. He saw movement to his left, something had broken the surface, he smiled as he dove under. He swam to the bottom, floating there as he scanned the murkiness for his predator. He spotted her in his peripherals as she would dart past, weaving in and out of the plant life.

     He surfaced for a moment to gather up some air. She brushed against his thigh and he dove down again - she was on him the moment his butt touched the sandy bottom, like a torpedo honing in on her target, she barrelled straight into his abdomen, knocking the breath from him. He exhaled sharply sucking in some water. She began swirling around him, speeding past him, dredging up a sandstorm to mar his vision. He surfaced once again, choking down some air. She grabbed his foot and pulled him under, trying her best to drown him, bobbing his body several times to make the water rush up his nose.

     Seokjin floated motionless, the current guiding his limbs in a wavy pattern along the surface. She dragged him back down, pinning him to the ground, believing she had killed him. It had been so long since she'd had fresh meat grace her presence, she was determined to enjoy every morsel she tore from his body. He opened his eyes suddenly and grabbed her by the neck, squeezing tight. She was startled, she did not expect her prey to fight back. She hissed at him with her shark-like teeth, trying with all her might to break free. He was too strong, she clawed at his fingers thrashing about, but he managed to rapidly drain the life from her. She went limp under his palm moments later and he scooped up her body and swam out of the lake, dropping her to the sand at Yoongi's feet.

     "What the hell did you do?" Yoongi gasped, bending down to feel for a pulse.

     "She attacked me." Seokjin fell to his knees facing him, the cut on his stomach was dripping wet blood down his thigh onto the sand, disappearing into the grains like it melted away.

     "You're hurt." Yoongi slipped off his shirt and held it to the wound to stop the flow of blood.

     "I'm okay." Seokjin lied, he felt fatigued, like he had just gone three full rounds in the ring with someone as strong as himself.

     Yoongi could not take his eyes off of Seokjin, he wasn't sure whether it was the way the moonlight illuminated his face, or how his wet slicked back hair showcased his perfect features or his near naked body, clad only in a pair of boxers, dripping wet against his sculpted muscles. Seokjin was gorgeous. It didn't help that Seokjin was staring through him in an obscenely suggestive manner.

    "We should get you into bed." Yoongi helped him up, bending down to grab his clothes and then helping him back into the house.

     Seokjin came out of the bathroom and plopped down on the bed next to Yoongi, drying off his wet hair. Yoongi checked out the basketball shorts Seokjin had borrowed. "They fit okay?"

     "Yeah." Seokjin threw the towel and looked down at his stomach, the wound had healed during the shower, but it still stung a bit.

     "Siren poison will stay in your system for a couple hours, you should rest." Yoongi stood, Seokjin grabbed his wrist. Yoongi closed his eyes, "Seokjin-"

     "Stay with me." Seokjin gazed at the side of Yoongi's face, "I won't try anything, don't worry."

     Yoongi yanked his wrist free and walked to the door, "I'll be on the couch if you need anything." He commented and then left, shutting the door behind him.

     Seokjin laid back, discouraged. He looked up at the ceiling counting the speckles of plaster, trying to remove all traces of Yoongi from his mind. He outlined the blades of the ceiling fan with his finger, boring himself to near death. He fell asleep posthaste.

 

     Yoongi dialed Namjoon as he sunk down on the couch, he discarded his shirt over the arm, exhaling loudly.

     "Yoongi?" Namjoon's worried voice came through.

    "Namjoon, this is hard." Yoongi let loose, laying his head back on the couch. "Cato has a deep hold on him, and he doesn't even see it."

     "What happened?"

     "He killed Fiona tonight, he said she attacked him, but he went down there with intent, I know it." Yoongi kicked off his shoes, covering his eyes with his free hand. "And that's not the worst-"

     "You're lusting after him-"

     "I don't know if I can resist. Namjoon, I want him." He groaned, "Bad."

     "Yoongi, let someone come help you." Namjoon persuaded him, "I can have Hoseok come out-"

     "He doesn't trust anyone else Namjoon, I just think it will drive him away."

     "Then you're going to have to remain strong, don't give in." Namjoon urged, "Remember it's not just Seokjin now,"

     "I know." Yoongi sighed, hating himself.  "How's Jungkook?"

     "He's going crazy, trying to be brave," Namjoon answered. "Stay strong."

     "I'll try."  Yoongi ended the call and threw his phone down on the table in front of him. He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated,  _Stay strong_. He scoffed as he propped his feet up and laid his head back again, the soft back of the upholstery was inviting him to sleep.

 

     Sometime near midnight, Seokjin woke, he was sweating profusely, beads of perspiration ran down his chest, an outline of his body visible from where he had soaked the sheet. He reached for the towel from the nightstand and blotted his chest, then placed the towel around his neck as he stood and left the room. He cranked the air conditioning down to 55 and walked over to the bar, uncapping something clear and taking a swig. He looked over at Yoongi asleep on the couch, the moonlight was hitting his face, it made him look like a porcelain doll laying there. He grabbed a blanket and laid it over the peaceful vampire, careful not to wake him. Yoongi snuggled up to the blanket and Seokjin smiled. He walked over to the giant bay window, grasping the top of the frame with his fingertips, watching the ripples on the lake outside.

     Yoongi opened his eyes and sat up, noticing Seokjin by the window, he looked down at the blanket that was laying over him. "Can't sleep?" Yoongi stood and threw the blanket aside.

     "Too hot." Seokjin could see Yoongi's reflection in the glass. He watched him slip on his shirt and walk over to stand next to him. He fixed his eyes on Yoongi's face, Yoongi was trying his hardest not to turn his head, well aware of Seokjin's glistening body just from his peripherals. Seokjin knew Yoongi was having an internal battle, he was making his best friend miserable and he despised himself for it.  "I think I should leave."

     "No, you shouldn't," Yoongi responded a bit too quick, he cleared his throat, not wanting to give Seokjin the wrong impression. "You shouldn't be out there alone."

     "I don't like that my presence is making you so tense." Seokjin removed his hands from the frame and leaned against the wall next to the window. "I should just go and work this out on my own."

     "I don't want you to go," Yoongi assured him.

     "I can't control it yet, and not just that." Seokjin banged his head against the wall, closing his eyes, "I don't think it's Cato that is making me want you so bad." A tear rolled down Seokjin's cheek and he quickly wiped it away,  _Shit._ "I just don't want to hurt you."

     Yoongi wiped the second tear that escaped Seokjin's eye, pausing on his cheek. "Just stay."

     Yoongi's lips were so inviting, Seokjin felt a chill run through his body. He grabbed the back of Yoongi's hair, pulling his head back, he bit into the crook of Yoongi's neck, a stream of blood trailed down towards his shirt and Seokjin ran his tongue upwards to collect the blood before it stained the fabric. To a vampire, this was an act that provoked arousal. Yoongi bit his lip as he closed his eyes, Seokjin found that so sexy, he pushed Yoongi up against the window and sucked down on the bite once again, Yoongi was on fire, his fangs grew past his lip, his breathing increased to a heavy pant, he wanted Seokjin and nothing was going to stop him. He grabbed the hemline of Seokjin's shorts and pulled him closer, Seokjin slipped his hands under Yoongi's shirt and ripped it off, ruffling his hair as he did so, the wild look made Seokjin extremely hard. He had Yoongi on the couch in a matter of seconds, both of them clad only in shorts now, hardened erections pushing against the fabric, longing to break free. A bottle of lube appeared in Seokjin's hand, Yoongi didn't question where it came from, he didn't even care. The preparation was almost too much to bear, Yoongi longed for Seokjin to be inside of him, determined to take any shortcut necessary even if he had to suffer a little discomfort. A short time later, Seokjin obliged, his hips thrusting slowly as he watched Yoongi's eyes roll back, a soft whimper escaped his lips, he'd forgotten how 'big' Seokjin was.

     "Are you okay?" Seokjin stopped for a moment, staring down into his eyes.

      "Shut up and fuck me." Yoongi reached his hand up and cupped it around the back of Seokjin's neck and pulled him down, pressing his lips against Seokjin's. 

     Yoongi loved how rough yet gentle Seokjin was, and attentive, he promptly sucked Yoongi off after he had pulled out and made a white, gooey mess all over his stomach. They spent the next two hours just laying on the couch, intertwined. Both of them staring at the ceiling wondering what the hell they just did and how it was going to affect their future. Seokjin was beginning to feel guilty, he'd lose Jungkook over this, there was no way the younger would forgive him.  _You don't need him, Seokjin, you have Yoongi._

     Yoongi stirred, pulling his arm out from under Seokjin, "You're putting my arm to sleep."

     Seokjin looked towards the back door, he needed air. He sat up and reached for his shorts as he stood, slipping them on. Abruptly stepping into his shoes that laid next to the couch as he headed towards the exit. "I'm going for a walk."

     "This is the part I dreaded." Yoongi readjusted the blanket, placing his arms behind him and resting his head on his arms.

     "What are you talking about?" Seokjin stopped midway to the door.

     "Regret." Yoongi closed his eyes. "Have a nice walk."

     Seokjin knew that Yoongi was done with the conversation, anything he said to him now would fall on deaf ears. Seokjin didn't regret what happened between them, he just felt guilty at what would happen after. Every ounce of him said to go out the door, let Yoongi believe whatever he wanted, but he couldn't. He turned back around and sat on the edge of the couch, resting his arms on his thighs. "I don't regret it."

     "You should." Yoongi opened one of his eyes, studying Seokjin's expression.

     Seokjin tilted his head, staring at Yoongi, "It was time for a change anyway." He looked down at the carpet and took a deep breath. 

     "Don't think Jungkook will see it that way." Yoongi closed his eyes again. "I'm tired, fuck off."

     Seokjin nodded. "I'll be back in a few hours." He stood. "Goodnight."

 

     Seokjin found himself on the beach, watching the sunrise. The bright rays of sunlight blinded him, he held his arm up to block the light. He took out his phone and looked at his screen, a picture of Jungkook giving the peace sign was staring back at him from his lock screen. _He's never going to forgive you, he will hate you for what you've done._

"I know." Seokjin wiped the teardrop that landed on his screen. He thought back to the first time Jungkook had told him he loved him.  _You would never live up to his expectations anyway, he is too righteous Seokjin, too pure._

    A flashback drifted through his mind,  _He was sitting in front of the fireplace at Abram's cottage, stoking the coals and Jungkook was sitting next to him, a soda in hand, he was so happy._

     _Seokjin leaned in and kissed Jungkook. "Get some sleep."_

_"I love you Seokjin." Jungkook blurted out and Seokjin smiled._

_"I know." He moved the hair from Jungkook's eyes, "I love you too."_

     Jungkook's smile after he had said it, changed him. Seokjin was a different person inside after that day.  _He deserves better than you_. Seokjin knew in his heart that was true, Jungkook would be better off without him. A sudden pain thumped in his heart, he grabbed his chest and sunk to the sand on all fours, his phone screen cracked under the pressure of his palm now leaning on it. Seokjin would have to give Jungkook up, he could think of no other way around it.  _You have to, you've broken his heart Seokjin._ Seokjin clutched at his chest, trying to inhale air, he felt lightheaded, everything was closing in on him, suffocating him. He was stricken with a fit of panic and dread as all the color drained from his face. He stumbled down to the edge of the water, the small waves lapping up over his shoes as he sunk back down on all fours, desperately trying to gulp some air into his lungs.

     Jungkook sat up in bed, he yelled out, "Seokjin." Something was wrong. He threw back the covers and ran to the window, tearing it open to get some air. He couldn't breathe, he knew he was about to pass out. He backed away from the window, the room was spinning, the light draining from the room like a vacuum was sucking out all the happiness in the world, he struggled to focus his eyes on something..anything. "Seokjin, what did you do?" He whispered as he fell to his knees. Jungkook's head hit the rug the same time Seokjin's cheek hit the sand.

     "I'm sorry, Kookie." Seokjin muttered, his eyes rolled up into his eyelids and he was out cold. The waves rolled up over him, drenching him in the chilly ocean water.

 

 


	45. Picking up the Pieces

     Seokjin slumped down on to Yoongi's couch, his head was pounding so hard he swore there was a rock concert going on in his brain. He searched briefly for Yoongi when he got back, but he was nowhere in the house or on the grounds. Seokjin felt it was probably for the better, he was sure that Yoongi wouldn't be pleased and would try to convince him this was all because of Cato taking up a small part of his existence and he had no other good god-damned reason to feel this way about him. Seokjin rolled his eyes. _Ugh._

 

     Meanwhile, Jungkook was still laying on his floor, his eyes were open, but he was still unconscious. Taehyung was running his hand in front of the younger's face, but Jungkook did not move or blink.

     "What the hell is this?" Taehyung looked up at Jimin.  Jimin shrugged. "Go find Hoseok."

     Jimin nodded and floated off out the door. Taehyung felt his head for a temperature, but he was chilly to the touch. He then listened against Jungkook's chest to make sure that his heart was beating correctly and he hadn't somehow been petrified by an evil spirit. His heart was strong, it definitely was not a spirit. "Hang in there buddy."

     Hoseok came up moments later, bending down to check Jungkook's pulse.

     "Peculiar" Hoseok looked into the younger's nose and then opened his mouth to peer inside, finally checking his ears to make sure nothing had lodged itself in his body and was controlling him.

     "What's wrong with him?" Jimin asked as he floated through the floor and hovered just above Jungkook's body.

     "I dunno." Hoseok looked up at Taehyung, "Help me get him to the lab." He stood and turned to Jimin. "Find Namjoon for me, bring him down."

     Jimin nodded and once again floated off. Taehyung scooped Jungkook up in his arms and Hoseok helped guide him through the door and down to the lab. He set him down on the lab table and backed up, watching as Hoseok checked his eyes with a small flashlight, his pupil's did not dilate.

     "It's some sort of coma." Hoseok was genuinely baffled.

     "A coma?" Taehyung scratched his head. "How is he in a coma?"

     "I dunno that either."

     Namjoon strode into the lab followed by Jimin. "What happened?" Namjoon leaned down to inspect Jungkook, touching his cheek. "He's cold."

     "It's a coma-" Taehyung pointed out, "But we dunno why."

     "I do." Sebastian popped into the room and they all jumped back, alarmed. Sebastian had a lousy habit of popping in unexpected.

     "Sebastian?!" Namjoon called out, recognizing him at once. He hadn't seen Noni's son in....well, in ages.

     "Seokjin attempted to break the bond last night-"

      "Why would he do that?" Taehyung piped in.

      "I can only speculate at this time." Sebastian reached down and held his hand over Jungkook's eyes. He mumbled an incantation then removed his hand, "He'll be okay in a couple of hours."

     "Did Seokjin manage to break the bond?" Namjoon inquired, not worrying at the moment how Sebastian came to know about this and how serious this all was if a member of the Preservation Squad was involved.

     "No, breaking a bond takes a great amount of strength and both parties have to be willing." Sebastian looked down at Jungkook, "I suspect Jungkook fought it and that's how he ended up in this state."

     "You need to get a hold of Yoongi and find out what the hell is going on," Hoseok informed Namjoon.

     Namjoon sighed as he pulled out his phone. "Yeah."

 

     Yoongi was about to walk into his house when his cell rang. He stopped midway of turning the handle and looked down at the screen, he answered once he saw Namjoon's name pop up. "What's wrong?"

     "I should ask you that, did something happen with Seokjin last night?" Namjoon's voice seemed urgent.

     "What do you mean?" Yoongi leaned against the house wall, closing his eyes. _If you tell him, he's going to be mad._

     "Did he do something that would cause Jungkook to go into a coma over an attempted broken bond?"

     "Shit." Yoongi struggled to form words... "I tried Namjoon, I really did-"

     "You fucked him?" Namjoon was livid, he rarely resorted to vulgar talking.

     Taehyung looked up at Namjoon, his face dropped. He slumped down onto the stool disheartened, he felt Hoseok's hand squeeze his shoulder.

     "Now is not the time to be quiet Yoongi-" Namjoon complained, pacing the floor.

     "I didn't know he'd try to break the fucking bond, okay," Yoongi yelled back.

     "How exactly did you think this would be helping him?"

     "You know what, fuck you, you act like I did this all myself." Yoongi hung up his phone and Namjoon had to suppress his anger.

 

      Yoongi threw his phone. "Fucking asshole." He shook his head, angry. He _knew_ he'd get blamed for this whole thing.  _Shit, my phone._

He lumbered over and grabbed his phone from the bushes across the street. He glared at it, his jaw clenching. He pocketed it and trudged back to his house, pissed off. He reached for the door handle, about to turn it when Seokjin opened the door. Yoongi stopped, studying the expression on Seokjin's face, something in him snapped. He drew his hand back and using all his body weight, he plowed Seokjin right in the nose. Seokjin flew backward, his head bounced off the floor with a thud as he grabbed his broken nose. "This is your fucking fault."

     Seokjin could feel the blood running out of his nostril, but he didn't move, he just held his hand cupped to his nose and stared at the ceiling. Yoongi walked over and looked down at him.

     "Feel better now?" Seokjin pinched his nose closed, glaring at Yoongi through watery eyes.

    "Do you know what breaking a bond does to the other person?" Yoongi held out his hand. Seokjin grabbed it and stumbled up, Yoongi helped him over to the couch and then pushed him down, thumping down next to him.

    "What are you talking about?" Seokjin wiped the blood on his shirt, he lifted it off and pressed the fabric to his nose.

     "You tried to break your bond with Jungkook last night." Yoongi looked at the cut on his knuckles from hitting Seokjin, it began to heal over as he flexed his fist open and closed.

     "I didn't try to do that." Seokjin looked over at him. "I passed out on the beach last night after a panic attack."

     "Well then Cato did, you put Jungkook in a coma." Yoongi shook his head, this was too much even for Yoongi to bear and he didn't even like the kid.

     Seokjin felt nauseous but he didn't react, "He'll be okay."

      "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Yoongi side-eyed Seokjin in disbelief. "You really want to do this to him?"

     "I already did." Seokjin threw his shirt down on the table and laid his head back, angry with himself. 

 

     Hours later, Taehyung and Hoseok were sitting at the counter in the lab, a touch-screen tablet in front of them, working on a set of plans for a device that would catch the tunnel creature so they could move it, they weren't sure if Seokjin was going to help them at this point, so they had to have a plan B.

     "What are we supposed to tell him when he wakes up?" Taehyung glanced over at Jungkook still asleep on the table.

     "I don't know." Hoseok set his stylus down and took a deep breath. "I'm sure he knows what was happening with the bond thing, but I don't think he knows that Yoongi and Seokjin-"

    "Yoongi and Seokjin what?" Jungkook was sitting up, staring at them.

     Hoseok and Taehyung shot each other some wide-eyed, 'oh shit' glances and then looked back down at their device on the tablet screen.

     "You tell him," Hoseok whispered.

    "Fuck no," Taehyung whispered back.

    Jungkook slid off the table, rubbing his temples, his head was hurting something terrible and he felt dizzy. "What did he do?"

     "Jungkook, you shouldn't move-" Taehyung warned, but Jungkook wobbled over to them and leaned on the back of Hoseok's chair. "Or just move..."

     Hoseok put his stylus down again, "You should sit." Hoseok stood and offered his chair, exchanging glances with Taehyung.

     "I don't wanna sit, I wanna know what the fuck is going on." Jungkook was getting angry.

     Hoseok pushed him down to sit, "He tried to break the bond-"

     "I know that." Jungkook looked up at him, his face was turning red with rage. "Why?"

     Taehyung felt bad, when he heard the news, he was shocked more than anything, but the hurt crept in soon after. He wasn't bonded to Yoongi and he certainly wasn't madly in love with him, even so, it still stung hearing the news. He knew Jungkook wasn't going to handle it well. "Yoongi and I broke up." Taehyung thought maybe a little detour in words could lighten the blow.

     "That sucks, I'm sorry." Jungkook looked apologetic for a moment before realizing they had said Yoongi and Seokjin had done 'something'. "Why did you break up?"

     "Jungkook, I don't know how to say it-"

     Jungkook's face sunk, he knew what Taehyung couldn't say, he knew it since last night when he felt Seokjin trying to pull away from him. He felt nauseous now, he looked at Taehyung, dread taking over. "Just say it."

     "Seokjin and Yoongi were..together." Taehyung enunciated the 'together', and made a lude hand gesture, immediately regretting his use of signals.

     Jungkook grimaced, "So they fu-" He closed his eyes and cracked his neck, staring back up at his saddened friend. "They fucked?"

     Taehyung couldn't speak, he just nodded and gave Jungkook a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

     Jungkook shrugged, he wasn't about to show them how aggrieved he was, "I knew it would happen." He said flatly, looking down at the ground. He had to keep it together, he was sick of breaking down in front of people, inside he felt like he was about to puke up the entire contents of his stomach. "I'll be in the weight room if anyone needs me."

     "Okay." Taehyung knew he shouldn't be working out right now, but he wasn't going to tell Jungkook he shouldn't, not when he knew the younger had to let off some steam.

     Jungkook wandered into the weight room, a lost soul. He slammed the door shut and broke down, succumbing to his emotions after the whirlwind limbo he was stuck in for over a week. His heart was breaking and there wasn't a fucking thing he could do about it. The one person he needed right now, the one person he could go to when he was upset was the person that had made him this way. He slid down the door and slumped onto the floor, leaning the back of his head against the door, trying to regulate his breathing before he hyperventilated. His chest hurt, his head hurt, his whole being was in anguish. Jungkook ran his fingers through his hair, defeated, letting the tears stream down his face and moisten his shirt, he didn't care anymore.

     ...He never felt so alone in his life.

     

     Yoongi watched Seokjin doing pushups on the hard wooden floor, his claws scraping the wood as he went up and down. He was cursing himself at how much he was staring at Seokjin, he wanted to just kick him out and forget he existed because he didn't seem to have self-control around him. He couldn't figure out why, Seokjin was not a witch, so he wasn't casting any love spells, but he felt like he was under one when he was around him. The only logical conclusion was that he really _was_ in love with Seokjin. The notion frightened him, because he knew Seokjin could never be his, and worse - it made Yoongi a deplorable pile of feebleness.

     "Admit it, you like what you see." Seokjin looked up at him, smirking that Yoongi was staring at him so longingly.

     "Point?"

     "Point is, why fight it?"

     "Because this isn't you Seokjin, this is because you have an evil fucking asshole inside of you-"

     Seokjin rose to his feet, "You think this is because of Cato?" Seokjin situated himself in front of Yoongi, who was now leaning against the doorjamb, looking like he was straight out of an angsty Zac Efron movie.

     "I know it is." Yoongi looked out at the lake, trying to remain unfazed by the sudden closeness.

     "Maybe it was inevitable."

     "I'm not going to wish for fairies to appear and grant me wishes, Seokjin. It's pointless. I know what's going on here."

     Seokjin grabbed Yoongi's chin and kissed his lips, pausing for a moment to look into his eyes, before being pushed away. "You can sit there and deny it all you want, but I know what you feel."

     "I am glad you're getting a sick enjoyment out of this." Yoongi pushed him away from the door and stormed out.

     "Why are you so stubborn?"

     "Get Cato out of your head and then come back to me and say it's real, say you can give Jungkook up," Yoongi yelled back, not bothering to turn around.

     "Jungkook probably knows by now, he won't forgive me."

    Yoongi stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Well, the fact that you only want me because you've given up on Jungkook is enough to tell me not to let this happen." 

     Seokjin watched him trudge off down the lake.  _He is a stubborn one Seokjin, you need to work harder._ "Why, why do I need him so bad?" Seokjin yelled at himself, knowing Cato was not going to let this go. "I am making him miserable."  _You want this just as bad as I do, stop letting your conscience get in the way._

 

     Jungkook's recklessness almost cost him his life twice tonight, speeding around cars on the highway going over 100 mph was probably not a good idea when you were an emotional wreck. He had fought the urge to go to Yoongi's house for the first twenty minutes after finding out Seokjin was there. Namjoon was reluctant to tell him where Seokjin was, but Jungkook had a way of charming people into telling him things. He wasn't sure if he could hold back when he saw Seokjin, that he wouldn't just kill him when he opened the door, but he needed to get some stuff off his chest.

     He pulled up in front of the house and sat there staring at the dark house for several minutes before he took off his helmet. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He climbed off the bike and set his helmet down. _Now or never._

     "You shouldn't be here." Seokjin stepped up next to him, causing the younger to jump, startled.

     Jungkook looked at him, so many emotions swirling around in his head at once. A sudden pang of sadness made his stomach churn, quickly replaced by a burning fury. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hug Seokjin or punch him...or both.

     "Are you going to say anything or just gawk at me?" Seokjin was losing his patience.

      _Fuck this._ "Fuck you."Jungkook grabbed his helmet and was about to put it on when he caught a glimpse of the elder's reflection in it. He gathered up a bit of courage and turned back to Seokjin, "How hard was it to fight this? That's all you had to do."

     "Just being true to myself," Seokjin answered, no feeling in his voice.

     "Do you really hate me this much?" Jungkook fought the tears back.

     "I don't hate you-" Seokjin took a step towards Jungkook, but then held himself back. "This isn't about you-"

     "This is about me, this has affected me." Jungkook scrunched up his face, he fought so hard not to cry. "You ripped my heart out-" Jungkook could not bear to look at Seokjin, he focused his attention down to his feet, unable to hold the tears back any longer, feeling the warm stickiness stream down his cheeks.

      "Jungkook, I-" He teared up, but Cato would not let him show Jungkook that he was sorry. "It's too late, you need to get on your bike and leave-"

     "Just like that, you're going to send me away?" Jungkook was in shock, the usual gleam in Seokjin's eyes was replaced by a frigid blackness.

     "I can't take back what I did-"

     "So you thought you'd just break the bond and say fuck off?"

     "Listen, you little shit, Seokjin is destined for things you cannot comprehend, you're holding him back." Seokjin grabbed his head, "No, shut up."

     Jungkook backed up. "Seokjin?"

     "Jungkook, I can't fight him, he's too strong." Seokjin looked up at Jungkook, tears streaming down his cheeks, "You've always been the one, no matter what happens to me, don't doubt that I love you." Seokjin wiped the tears from his eyes, "I know it's my fault, I know this is all my fault, I am so sorry." Seokjin grabbed his head again and screamed.

     "Seokjin-"

     "I will kill you Jungkook, I will rip you apart." He grabbed Jungkook by the collar and pulled him close, holding his clawed hands up to Jungkook's neck.

     "Fight him-"

     "Run." Seokjin pushed Jungkook back, his eyes turned black and his breathing quickened. "You will never have him back." Seokjin laughed and Jungkook just stood there, paralyzed.

     "Please go, Kookie. Go now." Seokjin burst out in tears, "Don't trust me."

      "Seokjin-" Jungkook grabbed Seokjin by the shoulders, "Fight him-"

      Seokjin's fangs grew out and he pushed Jungkook back again, "Please, Jungkook. I don't want to hurt you."

      Jungkook didn't know what to do, seeing Seokjin have an internal battle with Cato in front of him made him question everything within him, he felt Seokjin's suffering, he felt his turmoil. He knew Seokjin was in there, fighting....and losing. Yoongi came out onto the porch pocketing his phone and Jungkook glared over at him, his anger building back up. 

     "Great job at helping him." Jungkook spat and looked back at Seokjin.

     "He doesn't need help, he's where he belongs, not with some priggish, wholesome do-gooder kid." Seokjin's gaze was blank, evil. "You will always hold him back from greatness."

     "Yeah, keep believing that. _Cato._ " Jungkook grabbed his helmet and put it on, he climbed back on the bike and started it up.

    _I won't let you have him back Seokjin, you might as well give him up now._ Seokjin felt sick to his stomach as he watched Jungkook peel out and zoom off down the street. Seokjin had to protect Jungkook at all costs, he would not allow Jungkook to risk getting hurt just to help him.

     Cato knew in that instant that he did not need Seokjin anymore, he had grown tired of his grandson's weaknesses holding him back, meddling in his affairs. He pushed through Seokjin's mind taking over, putting his grandson in a catatonic state. This body was now Cato's, to do what he pleased with. Now all he had to do was play a waiting game, it was just a matter of time until Seokjin's soul would be completely gone and Cato would be the owner of a fresh new Seokjin 'suit'.

     Yoongi joined Seokjin at the curb, struggling with himself to just come out and say what he wanted without letting his emotions get in the way. 

     "I think you should go too," Yoongi informed him, a bland expression took over his face.

     "You want me to leave?" Seokjin asked, confused.

     "You don't want help, you just want to hurt people." Yoongi snarled, knowing full well that Cato was standing before him, suppressing his alter ego.

     Seokjin looked at him, his head tilted and a giant smirk formed on his mouth, "You know me so well."

     "None of this was because you bonded with me." Yoongi fumed.

     "Oh, Seokjin definitely bonded with you, he's picked up some of my weaknesses too I'm afraid." Seokjin laughed, "He's actually pretty conflicted about it."

     Yoongi's heart hurt for his best friends, but with Cato inside him, there was nothing Yoongi could do to help him, Namjoon helped him see that earlier on the phone. Every second he was around Seokjin, he fell deeper and deeper into a pit of despair, he couldn't handle it anymore, he agreed to help Sebastian any way he could. "We both know you've been using me to get Seokjin to feel so guilty about this that he would be more likely to let you come through to protect him from it."

     "I give it to you Yoongi, you're pretty smart for a vampire."

     "Yeah well, you're the one who's going to lose. You have nobody now." Yoongi turned to walk back towards the door.

     "That may be true, but now...neither does Seokjin." Seokjin grabbed a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and slipped them on, walking over to his bike, he started it up, Yoongi just stared at him. Seokjin saluted him as he did a donut on Yoongi's lawn, spewing chunks of dirt behind him before he sped off. Yoongi felt like his heart was about to pound out of his chest. It's was all up to Sebastian now, if he couldn't cure him of this curse, all hope was lost for Seokjin's future.

 

     Jungkook pulled up to front of the castle, slowing down, he turned off the bike and just looked up at the stone building standing before him, it seemed like so long ago that Namjoon had brought him here and he'd seen it for the first time, he had also seen Seokjin for the first time just behind those doors, the most beautiful person he had ever laid his eyes on. His heart was breaking, he felt helpless and useless and like his whole world had crashed in on him. He wasn't even sure if he could look at Seokjin the same way again. Seokjin could have stopped this, he could have fought it, instead, he just let it happen, all for power. Maybe he could forgive him for being with Yoongi, but he wasn't sure if he could forgive him for choosing power over love, over him.

     He climbed off the bike and removed his helmet, looking down at it. The first time he ever rode this bike, Seokjin had handed him this helmet and told him it would keep him safe from harm. Jungkook scoffed. He looked at the helmet for a good fifteen seconds before he heaved it at the castle wall, it hit the stone and cracked, rolling back towards him and stopping at his feet. He screamed out, cursing the gods as he looked up at the blazing sun beating down upon him.

     Namjoon came to the window and peered out, witnessing Jungkook kicking his bike over and kicking it a few more times as it lied on the ground. The younger dropped down on the steps of the castle, drained. Namjoon felt his phone rang and he reached into his pocket, answering it once he saw it was Yoongi. "What's going on?"

     "He's gone back to his estate. I really hope this works." Yoongi's voice sounded mournful on the other side.

     "Are you sure it's just Cato now?" Namjoon leaned against the wall.

     "Yeah. I'm pretty sure Seokjin is gone-"

     "Not gone Yoongi, just lost. He's still in there and we're going to get him back."

     "I'm on my way back, I can't be out here alone right now." Yoongi sighed.

     "I'll let everyone know what's going on," Namjoon assured him.

 

     Namjoon walked into the lab where everyone was already waiting. Hoseok and Taehyung were still working on their plans, Jungkook was sitting in the corner staring at the floor, depressed. Jimin was sitting with him, trying to cheer him up, and failing, and Harley was leaning against the counter, playing with one of the endless stock of toads that Hoseok kept in an aquarium. He named them all 'Charlie' for some reason, like it would lessen the horror of all the previous 'Charlie's' never returning to the tank. Harley found the concept rather silly since all the toads remaining could just peer out of the glass and see their comrades being experimented on.

     "Yoongi is on his way, I'm going to wait until he gets here."

     Jungkook looked up at Namjoon, "Why is he coming back here?"

     "Sebastian needs Cato to be dominant in order to do the spell-"

     "What spell?" Jungkook leaned up, his eyes wide.

     Sebastian popped into the room as if right on cue, they all jumped. "Sorry." He apologized.

     "Spiritus Morte," Namjoon informed them all.

     "Spirit death." Sebastian added, "And without you Jungkook, we can't bring Seokjin back." Sebastian looked at Namjoon for a moment, then back to the younger, "Without either of you."

     Jungkook didn't understand, "Either?"

     "I'm sorry, but Yoongi plays a part in this too." Namjoon wanted to be supportive, but there was no easy way to break this. "Both bonds have to pull him out of this."

     "Could this get any worse?" Jungkook muttered to himself.

     "Yeah, and it does actually." Sebastian expressed, "When Cato leaves Seokjin's body, only one of the bonds will hold, I can't guarantee which one."

     Jungkook already felt defeated, "I need some air." He stood and walked to the door, just as Yoongi was walking in, Jungkook took one look at him, grabbed him by the collar and pushed him backward out the doors and pinned him to the hallway wall, knocking the wind of out of him. Namjoon and Hoseok were through the door pulling him off just as fast.

     "Jungkook-" Namjoon called, standing in front of him, "Calm down."

     Jungkook pulled free of Hoseok's grip, pushed past Namjoon and decked Yoongi, knocking him to the ground. "You're a piece of shit."

     "I know," Yoongi mumbled to himself, not denying what he had been feeling since it happened.

     Jungkook stepped over Yoongi and took off up the stairs, Yoongi dabbed the blood from his lip, glaring up at them both.

     "Go get him back." Namjoon told Hoseok and then held out his hand to Yoongi, "You look pale."

     "I'm always pale." Yoongi took his hand and Namjoon pulled him up. The miserable vampire trudged into the lab where he sat down on the stool with a thump, a broken man.

     Taehyung looked over at him, he almost felt bad for him, he knew it couldn't be easy to be the second choice, hell, he himself felt like that on a few occasions because of Yoongi. "It must suck being the second choice with the one person that actually gives a shit about you." Taehyung almost regretted saying it the second it left his mouth. Yoongi just looked down at the floor, staring at a chip in the tile.

 

     Jungkook and Hoseok rejoined them, Jungkook shambled over and plopped down next to Taehyung. Harley felt out of place, she wasn't sure why she was here or what she should be doing, so she just looked up at Namjoon, determined to try to be as supportive as much she could.

     "This isn't going to be easy, Cato isn't going to willingly give up this fresh new body-" Namjoon started.

     "What happens if this doesn't work?" Harley raised her hand and asked, sinking down when they all looked at her.

     "Cato wins, Seokjin dies and the world goes to shit."

     "Why don't we just kill him then?" Jungkook asked and Yoongi looked up at him, disgusted.

     "If this doesn't work, we'll have to." Sebastian was a little too nonchalant about murdering off Seokjin. "Seokjin is stronger than Cato ever was alone, he'd be unstoppable if he built up another army."

     "The army he had was nothing compared to what he could do now," Namjoon added.

     "Let's just say that most of the children Cato fathered didn't live past their third birthday, for one reason or another, only the strongest and most promising lived," Sebastian admitted. 

      "I'm not so sure about that." Harley sputtered. 

     Sebastian looked at her, "You don't know your importance yet, but don't worry, you were kept for a reason." 

     Harley just smiled as she turned red-faced and looked down.

     "We know where he is now, but no telling how long he could stay there, if he knows what we're up to, he could run and go into hiding." Namjoon theorized.

     "So then Yoongi taking him there and 'helping' him was just some plan?" Jungkook wondered aloud.

     "No, but things needed to change fast, Yoongi noticed that Seokjin was getting worse-"

     "So fucking him was just a perk." Jungkook nodded sarcastically, "Good plan."

     "You think I fucking wanted this?" Yoongi asked, looking at the younger, offended. No one understood Yoongi's side.

     "Yeah, I fucking think you did." Jungkook answered, his temper flaring up, "I think it's been your plan since you fucking moved back in."

     "Fuck you." Yoongi looked at him, a pathetic little grimace on his lips. He couldn't hide that he was hurt, maybe he did half hope that Seokjin would return his feelings, but Yoongi knew from the beginning that he wouldn't be the victor.

     "This isn't going to help Seokjin, you two need to be united in this." Sebastian insisted.

     "Well hoping for a miracle doesn't make one happen." Yoongi looked back down at the chipped tile, kicking at it. Jungkook had to agree with him there.

     "I know this isn't easy for either of you." Namjoon sighed, "But this isn't just to save Seokjin, this is to prevent a war."

     "Save the world bullshit,"  Yoongi jeered. "Really?"

     "I'm afraid so." Sebastian concluded, "It's up to you both whether or not you save him or I kill him."

     Yoongi and Jungkook both looked at Sebastian appalled, realizing that Sebastian really was serious.

     "Just keep working on those plans, if I'm right, he is going to try to free the creature, use it to cause havoc," Sebastian advised, then turned to Namjoon. "I will be back tomorrow after I take care of some loose ends."

     "Okay." Namjoon responded and watched as Sebastian 'popped' back out of the room. He turned to Yoongi and Jungkook, "I need you two in my office in a few."

     "What for?" Jungkook's tone made Namjoon belligerent.

     "Just be there, stop questioning." Namjoon sighed and walked out of the room.

     Yoongi felt suddenly alone, both Taehyung and Jungkook pretty much hated him and Hoseok had never been much of a fan and he was pretty sure Harley was either scared of him or had heard about what a dick he was, that she wasn't about to be friendly to him. He wanted to talk to Taehyung, but he knew the younger would not want to have anything to do with him, he was pretty sure that Taehyung blamed the whole thing on him, that somehow he took advantage of Seokjin's predicament. No one said anything, they all just kind of stared at nothing and Yoongi was positive it was because of him. He stood and hurried out of the room.

     "I would hate to be him right now," Harley remarked with a sadness in her voice, standing and grabbing her phone.

     "Why would you feel bad for him?" Jungkook gave her a dirty look.

     "He's doing this for nothing, he doesn't get anything from this in the end-"

     "Oh really, so the fact that the bond could go his way is nothing?" Jungkook seethed.

     "You really think he is doing this on the off chance that the bond with him could stick?" Harley pocketed her phone, "You might want to step in his shoes for a moment and realize he's sacrificing his happiness to save Seokjin."

     "I call bullshit," Taehyung remarked and Jungkook nodded.

     "Well, that's because you're mad right now." Harley walked over to the door, "What happened between them is not just his fault."

     Taehyung and Jungkook stared at each other. "I still don't buy it." Taehyung shrugged.

     "Sometimes the heart doesn't get to pick who it falls for." Jungkook reminded Taehyung with his own words.

     "Don't use my shit against me," Taehyung rolled his eyes. "I won't forgive him, sorry."

     Taehyung walked out of the room, followed by Harley. Jungkook looked down at the floor, he was so conflicted. How could he not forgive Seokjin? He was the love of his life, there was no way he could go on without him. It would take a long time for him to forget that he did so much wrong and be able to trust him, even if Seokjin wasn't 'used' to loving someone, even if Cato caused it all, it was no excuse. Seokjin made the choice to drain his grandfather, and he made the choice to not fight his influence. Jungkook would ultimately rather die than live without him though, and that is why he would eventually forgive him. No matter how long it took. _Maybe I am too much of a goody-goody._

     Yoongi was already seated in front of Namjoon's desk when Jungkook walked in, he stopped short, then moved slowly to the empty seat next to him. Yoongi did not look up, but he was well aware that Jungkook was standing there staring at him and that he needed to say something. Jungkook eased into the seat, not making much noise, he wasn't sure why, but he felt like he needed to let Yoongi grieve.

     "Look, whatever happens here, someone is going to get hurt-" Jungkook started, stopping to think how he should word what he wanted to say.

     "You don't have to feel sorry for me." Yoongi stood and walked over to the window.

     "I don't, I just know how you're feeling-"

     "You don't know shit." Yoongi leaned against the window with his arm, watching the sun set behind the gray clouds. A storm was coming. "This is not even remotely the same thing."

     "Yeah well, no one asked you to fall for him-"

     Yoongi swung around and looked at him, "You've been in his life ten years, you think you know what I'm feeling?"

     "So you think just because you loved him longer that you're better?" Jungkook scoffed, "You had the chance and you let him go."

     Yoongi couldn't argue with that, he did have his chance and he did choose to walk away back then, "It doesn't matter, I just want Seokjin to be himself again. I don't care about anything else."

 

     Namjoon entered his office and stopped, glancing at each of them. There was no bloodshed or dangling body parts, so it was a good start as far as he was concerned. "Sorry, had to talk to the council."

     "So how's this all gonna go down?" Yoongi sat back down, rubbing his temple, his head was pounding.

     "We need to get him to Sebastian, preferably unconscious, less resistance." Namjoon shut the door and walked over to his desk.

     "Yeah, he isn't just going to let us walk up and take him-"

     "That's why we need to make him come to us."

     "How?" Jungkook queried, he was getting antsy.

     "The creature. We're going to give him the idea that we are going to kill it." Namjoon responded, clearing his throat, "That's where you two come in."

     "You want us to kill it?" Jungkook gasped, "What?"

     "No, he wants to use the bond to put it in his mind that we are."

     "How the fuck?" Jungkook challenged, "I'm pretty sure Cato hates me and Yoongi isn't just going to randomly go kill it-"

     "There is an amplifying spell, Hoseok is going to use it on you." Namjoon looked to Jungkook, "He thinks you pretty much hate him, and you would do anything to fuck him over."

     "Well, he wouldn't be wrong."

     "It's important that you really believe that you want to kill this thing though, if there is any doubt in your mind, Cato will pick up on it."

     "Once you get him there, then what?" Yoongi asked, concerned for the safety of his best friend.

     "Sebastian has a plan," Namjoon assured him.

     "Awful vague Namjoon, risking lives on Sebastian's whims." Yoongi stood, he didn't like any of this, but he couldn't stand there and oppose it, he didn't think he had the right to. "Just let me know when you need me."

    "He's going to need to be subdued, you know your claws keep him from changing-"

     "Yeah." Yoongi shuffled to the door, his energy was waning. He just wanted to lay down and forget everything for a few hours. "I'll be in my room."

  

     Yoongi collapsed onto the bed, sprawled out on the comforter, he stared up at the ceiling. He knew he should've just kept riding after the vampire ball, said 'fuck it all' and just kept going, but he missed his best friend too much. _I am so stupid._

 _"_ Yoongi, you are the epitome of a dumbass _."_ He chided himself, as he kicked off his shoes and rolled over onto his side, taking the blanket with him and making himself into a human burrito.He drifted off to sleep soon after. Having emotions was exhausting.

     

* * *

**Thank you for the comments and kudos - they are greatly appreciated! ♥**


	46. Sebastian's Plan

   

        Jungkook was weary, he didn't like the deception, he wasn't good at lying, not to Seokjin. It killed him for so long not to tell him about his real father, but he knew it had to be done, there was no other way around it...and now he had to lie once again. If there was ever a chance to rescue Seokjin from Cato's influence, it was Sebastian that would do it. Namjoon had told him that when Sebastian was sixteen, he went to work for the Preservation Squad, a fancy name for a band of witches that use their powers to help stop bad people from becoming worse. Jungkook wondered why Sebastian just didn't kill Cato off ages ago, but it always came back to the god's wishes, that this had to play out this way. Sebastian and his group had been reduced to basically just a cleanup crew these last few years, they fixed the issues that arose from all the large ego'd monsters' wrath. Jungkook also had other issues to contend with, like the reason that he was born, but as usual, he had to put it off for now.

     Taehyung suddenly yelped, a 'holy shit we've done it' kind of sound as he high-fived Hoseok. Jungkook looked over at them as he slipped his favorite curmling back into its cage on the counter. "It is done, hold your applause." Taehyung took a fake bow to a nonexistent crowd.

     "So build it." Jungkook walked over and bent down, resting his hands on the back of Hoseok's chair and leaning in to view the tablet, where the schematics of some sort of device were displayed on the screen. Labels pointed to receivers and wires and things with strange little symbols that had the words ohms and watts written in Hoseok's handwriting next to them. Jungkook wasn't even going to attempt to make out what this all was... "What is it?"

     "A really big invisible leash." Hoseok smiled, "It uses sound waves to mimic the beating heart of a mother dragon."

     "Why the hell would you need that?" Jungkook's lip was curled up, practically touching his nose, a classic 'what the fuck' expression etched on his forehead.

     "I've determined based on the logs from Cato's Iceland facility, that the eggs used for this creature were extracted less than a year ago, so it makes this thing a baby."

     "And based on data from dragon breeders, a year old dragon hybrid baby is still attracted to the sound of a mother's heartbeat," Taehyung added, excitement oozing from his pores. 

     "So how does this work exactly?"

     Hoseok smiled, "Well the sound waves are so that we can sort of control it, he will think whoever is wearing this device is his mother."

     "I thought this thing was raised in a lab?"

     "Technically it was, but according to one of the workers there, all their dragon's eggs are guarded and cared for by dummy mothers."

     "We just so happened to get the heart rhythm of thee dragon used when this one was being incubated," Taehyung added, ecstatic.

     "So what if it doesn't fall for this and one of us get eaten?"

     "Yoongi already volunteered to wear the device." Taehyung seemed like he was extremely impressed by the notion, the glassy look in his eyes when he thought about Yoongi before had returned. "He's got vampire speed, so he'll be okay." 

     "Once we lure it out of the cave and into the containment area, he will be transported to a dragon handler to be trained and sent to a supernatural zoo-"

     "They really exist?" Jungkook had always thought that was a joke.

     "I am offended that my stories have gone right through your empty head." Taehyung smacked his arm.

     "You'll excuse me if I don't trust everything you say, need I remind you about the flesh-eating bugs incident?" Jungkook shuddered thinking about it. Taehyung had convinced him that fire ants could melt the flesh off your body if they managed to get on you, then proceeded to shower Jungkook with a cup full of them and laughed as the younger frantically slapped them off screaming about how his skin was melting. He was covered in welts for a good few days. 

     "Come on, you would have done the same thing." Taehyung protested, smiling quite wickedly, it was a terrible thing to do, but he knew Jungkook would heal quick, "And you were 10, it's a right of passage."

     "Yeah, no." Jungkook protested, grabbing him in a headlock and giving him the biggest noogie of his life. "It itched for a week."

     "Dick." Taehyung pulled free, rubbing his head. Jungkook laughed.

     "You and Jimin were mean to me, admit it." Jungkook frowned.

     "Yeah, sorry, that kinda was a dick thing to do." Taehyung admitted, "But, I like you now, so it works out."

     "Sure." Jungkook shook his head, vowing one day he'd have his revenge.

     Yoongi strolled into the lab, he was dressed in an all-black ensemble that would give the best burglar a run for his money, a snapback held his bangs out of his eyes, showcasing that he was so deep in thought, his forehead was creased with worry lines. Taehyung swooned a bit, then cursed himself for having hormones.

     "Sebastian's on his way, the thing done?" Yoongi inquired.

     "Just need to build it, will take an hour, tops." Hoseok stood, grabbing the tablet, "I'll be in the garage if anyone needs me."

     Yoongi watched Hoseok leave and then turned to Taehyung and Jungkook, "Sebastian seems to think whatever latent ability you have will come out when this whole spell thing is happening."

     "SO?" Jungkook didn't fancy a conversation with Yoongi about his abilities, or anything else for that matter.

     "So, no one knows what you could be harboring in that fucked up little body of yours, if you lose control, you need to leave."

     Jungkook stood, smiling, "I'm not so sure you should be talking about little." Jungkook got in Yoongi's face, looking down on him, "Just fucking mind yourself and try not to get eaten. Or don't."

     Taehyung pulled Jungkook back, "Chill."

     "Everyone's problems would be solved actually... if you got eaten." Jungkook sat back down, smirking like he had just won a battle.

     Yoongi balled up his fists, drawing blood as his fingernails slit his palms open. He walked over and sat up on the lab table, closing his eyes, reminding himself not to kill Jungkook. _Find your happy place, Yoongi, this kid is nothing._  

     Harley trudged in carrying a pile of books, she thumped them down on the lab table next to Yoongi and looked up at him nervously, then turned to Jungkook. "I figured out why Cato wanted fairies in his army."

     "Why?" Jungkook and Taehyung asked in unison.

     She smiled and stood back, snapping her fingers. She looked down at her feet, nothing had happened. "Shit. Sorry." She glanced up at their confused faces. She snapped her fingers again, but this time her body began to shrink, she constricted up into a glowy twelve-inch version of herself, complete with wings that flapped wildly, thrilled with the new discovery.

     "What the fuck?" Jungkook stood and walked over to her examining her new smaller body as she twirled around in a circle and then stopped. He reached out and poked her stomach and she giggled.

     "I'm still me you know." She snapped her fingers again and fell to the ground with a thud as her body grew back to its normal size, her legs wobbled like she had never been big before and was wearing a new pair of legs she just somehow acquired.

     "You were this big." Jungkook showed her by holding his hands apart about a foot. 

     "Fairies are good for breaking into tight places." She stood and brushed off the seat of her pants. "Sebastian taught me how to change."

     "But how did your clothes shrink too?" Taehyung inquired.

     "Magic!" She grinned from ear to ear. "He's quite brilliant with spells."

     Yoongi grabbed one of the books from the pile that she had sat down, "Transfiguration tricks and shortcuts?"

     "I can only do it in human form so far. I don't have the onyx strength in this form, so it makes me weak." She huffed, "I am hoping to learn how to do it while changed."

     "It's genius." Taehyung spoke up, "That is really freakin' cool."

     "Hoseok owes me a steak dinner if I manage to do it in onyx form." She smiled as she climbed up onto the lab table to sit next to Yoongi, looking him up and down. "Why do you look like you're attending a secret agent's funeral?"

     "Black is soothing to this thing or some shit." Yoongi adjusted his snapback, noticing Taehyung was staring at him as he did.

     "Are you scared?" Harley turned to Yoongi, who looked at her like she had three heads.

     "No, not for me," Yoongi answered then looked down.

     "We'll get Seokjin back, don't worry." Harley patted Yoongi's thigh and he glanced over at her, surprised she was being nice to him.

 

     Approximately forty-five minutes passed before Sebastian and Hoseok entered the lab, followed moments later by Namjoon. The three of them looked a new kind of serious, like the weight of everything was being balanced by their shoulders and if they turned one wrong way it would crash down and the world would fall into a void.

     "Device done," Hoseok lifted Yoongi's arm and fit the wrist apparatus on to him, adjusting it with the velcro straps. "It's kind of in beta mode, so I don't know how many bugs you might encounter."

     "I'm not going to end up like one of your frogs am I?" Yoongi joked, then realized the horrified look on Hoseok's face meant he was doomed.

     "You should be fine." Hoseok's quick change to a half smile was not comforting. "This button is the heartbeat. Use it sparingly, it drains the battery fast."

     "Do you have any good news?" Yoongi grimaced, "I'd rather not get eaten by a fucking dragon."

     "I'm sure he'd spit you back up anyway." Hoseok backed up admiring the device. "You're very sour."

     Sebastian cleared his throat and they all peered over at him as he stepped in front of the door to make sure they could all see him, "My plan is simple, we lure Seokjin to the tunnels, Jungkook will keep him distracted while Yoongi keeps the creature at bay. Taehyung and I will put Seokjin out and we'll bring him back here where I will perform the spell."

     "You make it sound too simple." Jungkook was very skeptical.

     "Put him out?" Yoongi complained, "Is this the term you're going with?"

     "What if we can't knock him out?" Taehyung questioned, thinking how vague the whole plan was and how many things could go wrong.

     "Well, plan B is always ready to go," Sebastian informed him.

     "Plan B?" Yoongi asked, "What is plan B?"

     "Need to know basis." Sebastian adjusted his gun holster and returned his jacket over it.

     "Well, I need to know," Yoongi insisted, "I'm not doing this if someone is at risk."

     "It's protection measurements, nothing that will harm anyone," Sebastian assured him.

     Yoongi didn't trust him, something about how he said it and then flashed his gun made Yoongi think that his plan B was to just kill Seokjin and be on his way. He glanced over at Jungkook whom he assumed was having the same thoughts, the expression on his face was straight suspicion.

 

     The tunnel stairs were covered in a malodorous gooey slime, Yoongi knew right away that this creature had not stayed in its little hole like Seokjin had told it to, so that either meant the thing was not so obedient or Seokjin had been down here recently. It was challenging to descend the stairs without falling, twice Taehyung had slipped and Yoongi had caught his arm to keep him from tumbling off. 

     "Thanks." Taehyung grabbed on to the side of the wall and waited for Sebastian to join him.

     Jungkook jumped down and landed on the ground, spraying Yoongi with specks of dirty sand. "Dick." Yoongi chastised him, making Jungkook flash him a smug smile.

     Hoseok let out a pterodactyl-like screech that rang out through the tunnel as he slipped off the last stair and landed face first at Yoongi's feet.

     Yoongi grimaced, "Why don't you just call it here and end this suicide mission now."

     "Sorry." Hoseok rose and brushed the sand from his chin, spitting out the muck that managed to creep into his mouth. "Jungkook?"

     "I'm here." Jungkook stopped in the middle of the tunnel and Hoseok toddled over to him. He situated his hands on both sides of Jungkook's head with his thumbs placed just above Jungkook's eye sockets.

     "Close your eyes," Hoseok instructed and Jungkook obliged. "Keep all your focus on believing that you're here to kill the creature, don't doubt it one bit."

     "I know," Jungkook assured him, glancing at Yoongi, then back to Hoseok. 

     "Envision the creature in your mind, picture how you will kill it." Hoseok continued, "Just keep running that over and over."

      "Okay." Jungkook pictured himself standing above the creature as it lay gasping in pain in the mucky sand, in his hands he wielded a large, silvery sword which he held above the creature's head, seconds away from decapitating it.

      Hoseok closed his own eyes, whispering a small verse to himself.

 

      Seokjin pulled his bike over to the side of the road and removed his helmet. "Jungkook? What are you doing?" He said aloud to himself. "No, No, No." He threw his helmet down into the ravine and revved his bike, turning it around, imprinting tire marks into the gravel as sped off and headed back the way he had come. The wind blew his hair back as he gunned it down the highway. His speedometer reaching over 100 mph in seconds. Hell hath no fury like a hybrid about to lose his precious pet.

 

     Jungkook opened his eyes suddenly, "He's on his way." He felt dizzy and leaned against the wall to get his bearings.

     "You okay?" Hoseok asked, looking at his pupils. Jungkook nodded and Hoseok ripped the sword from his belt. "If you fear your life at all, use it."

     "Okay." Jungkook took the sword from Hoseok and unsheathed it. He glared at the shiny silver blade, spying his reflection as it glared back. He was scared that he could have a reason to hurt Seokjin.

     Sebastian and Taehyung headed off down the tunnel together, turning on their headlamps and disappearing around a corner.

     Hoseok turned to Yoongi, "Stay close to him, but out of sight."

     "I know, don't worry." Yoongi took a deep breath, "If I die here today, please don't let them throw my ashes in the garbage can."

     Hoseok smirked, "If anything goes wrong with the device, just get the hell out of there."

     "Will do," Yoongi called back as he trudged off down the tunnel corridor. 

     Jungkook inhaled and exhaled, feeling sick, giving a nod to Hoseok.

     "May the gods have mercy on our souls." Hoseok prayed, watching as Jungkook caught up to Yoongi and their silhouettes disappeared out of sight.

   

     Hoseok carefully climbed back up the stairs and headed towards the warehouse door. He heard a motorcycle pull up outside, screeching to a halt. _Damn, that was quick._ He jumped behind some crates in the corner to hide as Seokjin came rushing through the door and ran straight to the stairs and down them. Hoseok looked over towards the trapdoor, his heart thumping fast, he quickly sent a text to everyone to alert them that Seokjin was in the tunnels... and in a hurry.

     Jungkook and Yoongi both read the message at the same time. "Shit, that was fast." Jungkook turned to Yoongi, "Find some place to go, now."

     Yoongi ran ahead into the darkness. Jungkook could hear quickened footsteps coming down the tunnel towards him and just as he turned and drew the sword, Seokjin grabbed him by the neck and pushed him down to the ground, holding the younger's sword hand down with his knee. 

     "What are you doing?" Seokjin was furious, Jungkook squirmed below him, but was unable to break free of Seokjin's grasp, yelling out in pain as the elder squeezed his neck, drawing blood.

     "You going to let him kill me, Seokjin?" Jungkook choked out.

     "Seokjin is not here anymore, dumbfuck." Seokjin squeezed harder and Jungkook gasped for air, trying to use his free hand to pry himself free of Seokjin's death grip. Seokjin smiled as he raised his head up and focused his eyes down the tunnel. "Someone's here to see you."

      Jungkook tilted his head to look behind him, seeing a giant shadow approaching them, the closer it got, the more the ground shook... It stopped when it reached Seokjin, standing teeth to face with him, cooing. As Seokjin reached up to pet it, Jungkook got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach.

     "Get off of me." He squirmed.

     "Gladly." Seokjin yanked the sword from Jungkook's hand and stood, throwing the sword off down the tunnel. "Are you hungry my pet?" Seokjin stroked the creature's snout and it closed it's eyes, enjoying the soothing physical contact.

      _Oh god, Yoongi where are you?_ Jungkook scrambled back away from the two of them, the creature was too close for comfort.

     "This fucker here came to kill you." He seized the front of Jungkook's shirt and pulled him to stand, pushing him back so he hit the wall.

      "What are you doing?" Jungkook bellowed.

      "All I have to do is order the kill, just one simple word." Seokjin's eyes flashed black and Jungkook looked at the creature as it moved closer to his face, Jungkook had to turn his head to the side as he felt the creature's heated breath on his cheek.

     "Yoongi!" Jungkook called out and Seokjin stopped smiling, he turned around as Jungkook called out again, "YOONGI! Now!"

     Yoongi approached slowly, turning on the device, the light sound of a beating heart filled the tunnel and the creature stopped and turned his head towards Yoongi, backing up, a perplexed look on its face. Yoongi picked up the sword and aimed it at Seokjin.

     "Yoongi?" Seokjin was confused.

     "Back off," Yoongi yelled at the creature. It hesitated as it contemplated the order, then glowered at Seokjin unsure of what to do.

     "Kill Jungkook," Seokjin ordered and the creature turned it's attention back to Jungkook.

     "I said back off," Yoongi shouted and the creature turned it's head back to Yoongi.

     "They are here to kill us, you idiot." Seokjin snarled, "Kill him. Now."

     "No." Yoongi held out of his hand, the creature sniffed his arm, the sound of the heartbeat ringing in his ears made him coo, he rubbed his nose up against Yoongi's arm. "You need to follow me." Yoongi started backing up and the creature took two steps towards him, his head tilted as if he were going to get a dragon treat if he listened.

     "I can't let you take him," Seokjin yelled out and Yoongi stopped, staring at him. "Demnius!" Seokjin growled, the creature stopped in its tracks and glared at Seokjin.

     "You named your dragon Demnius?" Yoongi snickered. Seokjin ignored his jibe.

     "Demnius, I own you." Seokjin fangs had grown out past his lip, the vision of him standing there was frightening, the creature hung it's head like it had been scolded.

     "Demnius, you do not have to listen to him." Yoongi implored, but the creature seemed less interested in what he had to say now.

     "Demnius, come now." Seokjin called and the creature turned quickly, its tail smacked Yoongi across the chest and knocked him back hard enough to cause him to lose his balance and land on his butt, the device arm hit the sand and stopped working.

     "Shit, shitttt." Yoongi scurried backward, popping the button a few times to no avail.

     "Kill Jungkook, Demnius." Seokjin ordered, "Make him suffer."

     The creature made a bee-line for Jungkook, who ducked down out of the way just in time. The creature's teeth scraped the stone, shooting out sparks as it slid down the wall. Seokjin lunged at Yoongi who held the sword out in front of him just as Seokjin beared down, stabbing him straight through the abdomen. Seokjin backed up, unfazed, he pulled the sword from his flesh and threw it down on the ground, the blade made a strange ringing sound when it hit the sand. Yoongi sped around Seokjin, attempting to grab him by the neck, but missed as Seokjin somehow blocked and kicked him back. Yoongi hit the wall hard, right next to Jungkook as the younger once again dodged the creature.

      "Where the fuck are they?" Yoongi yelled out, hoping his echo would carry through the tunnels and alert the rest of them that there was trouble. 

      Yoongi jumped past the creature, dodging its tail and coming up behind Seokjin once again at the same time Jungkook tried to sprint away from the creature's teeth, Seokjin tripped him as he stepped sideways to evade Yoongi's grasp, Jungkook hit the ground with a resounding _hmpff_ and turned over just at the creature grabbed his foot, biting down into his flesh, his pained cry reverberated through the tunnels as tried to kick it in the face with his free foot.

     "You shouldn't have come down here-" Seokjin seized the sword, plunging it down into Jungkook's shoulder, twisting it. Tears of anguish streamed down the younger's face as he reached up to grab the hilt, trying to stop Seokjin, but it was all in vain as he had no energy left to fight. The sheer vileness that exuded from Seokjin as he stood over Jungkook gave Yoongi the chills. Cato used Seokjin's nature to turn him into a wicked, immoral killing machine, no sense of guilt, no sympathy. Yoongi knew he couldn't be soft on him, Cato was going to kill them, Seokjin was no longer in control of his body.  

     Yoongi dashed forward, determined to take Seokjin down, but Seokjin had anticipated the attack as if he could read Yoongi's thoughts. He grabbed the hasty vampire by the throat, squeezing so hard that he turned instantly purple as Seokjin raised him off the ground and let him dangle there, taking his claws and ramming them straight into Yoongi's chest. Yoongi's eye rolled up into his head as Seokjin grabbed his heart, feeling the beating organ against his palm, taking a sick pleasure in feeling Yoongi's life force pulsating against his flesh.

     "All you had to do was be on my side." Seokjin snarled, squeezing his hand tighter around Yoongi's heart. Yoongi's faint whimper was heartbreaking, he was slipping away as Seokjin enjoyed torturing him with a death that could come at any moment. Yoongi's body went limp as he hung there. "Such a waste." Seokjin's lip curled up into a snarl.

     Taehyung came to a halt down the tunnel, seeing Yoongi's lifeless body suspended, dying in Seokjin's grasp, the elder mocking Yoongi's existence by taunting him when he could have already killed him and ended his suffering. Taehyung was filled with a rage, a burning hatred boiling in his soul, every last trace of his humanity ruptured, his mind drained of everything else but rescuing Yoongi and killing Seokjin. He tore the shirt from his body, his bones contorting and expanding below thick brown hairs that grew out his skin as he turned from his human form into a rabid werewolf. Taehyung emitted a deep growl as he honed in on Seokjin's infrared outline, the heat of his body lit up in Taehyung's vision. He bounded at full speed towards Seokjin, closing the distance quick. Taehyung leaped forward and landed on his back, biting down on his shoulder. Seokjin was jolted back, he lost his grip on Yoongi as he ripped his hand free from the dying vampire and threw him down to the ground. Seokjin thrashed about for several moments before he swung his arm around to grab Taehyung by the scruff of his neck and flipped him over, watching as he bounced off the ground. Taehyung shook the sand off his fur and charged Seokjin once again, jaws snapping as Seokjin backed up. Taehyung swiped his claw and sliced down Seokjin's cheek, spraying the wall with his blood.

     Seokjin lost his footing and fell, landing next to Jungkook. He stared at Jungkook laying there, not fighting back. The creature stood over the younger, its teeth dripping saliva all over as it leaned in and bit into Jungkook's shoulder, it's dagger-like teeth ripping into the skin and crunching down on the bone. Jungkook's arm went limp and fell to his side, the blood running up and over his face as his body convulsed.

     Hoseok came sprinting down the tunnel, he held up his hand as he came to a stop, encasing Jungkook in a barrier. The creature was unable to penetrate it, its nose bounced off the invisible obstacle and it shook its head confused. It attempted to rip through the forcefield two more times, each time it failed, getting zapped with a jolt of electricity in the process. The creature backed up, yowling in defeat. Seokjin pulled two daggers off his forearms and flung them towards Hoseok, both hitting him in the stomach. Hoseok grabbed his sides as he doubled over in pain, falling to his knees. The barrier popped and Jungkook was once again exposed, the creature growled out, inching closer to Jungkook. Hoseok carefully pulled the daggers from his stomach and threw them down, staggering back up to his feet, he wiped the sweat from his brows, smearing blood over his skin. He held up his hand to the creature once again, several sparks emitted from his fingertips, growing into a baseball-sized fireball in a matter of seconds, he thrust his hands forward hitting the creature with several of them, causing it to cry out and back up.

     Taehyung was unable to maintain his form and had turned back to a human, Seokjin bolted up, towering over him like an executioner, practically foaming at the mouth. Seokjin bent down on one knee, placing his hand around the weary boy's neck, he was too close to ripping out Taehyung's throat when Sebastian appeared with a small pop out of a thin mist. He rammed a long thick-bladed knife straight through Seokjin's back and out the front of his chest, wrapping his forearm around Seokjin in a chokehold and holding the blade there as Seokjin yelled out, trying to pull himself free.

     "Se-Seokjin-" Jungkoook whimpered, not lifting his head. The pain in the scream that emerged from Seokjin's mouth tore at Jungkook's heart.

     Sebastian held his hand steady over the hilt and screamed out an incantation, a slight wind whisked through the tunnels casting a cold chill that made Taehyung and Hoseok shiver. Taehyung watched as Seokjin's eyes turned from black to red, then back to brown as they slowly closed, one last puff of air exited his mouth, dissolving into the coldness. Seokjin slumped over still impaled with the knife, unconscious.

     "Dormiam cum mortuis" Sebastian chanted as he ripped the blade out. Seokjin's body rocked forward from the movement, convulsing as he fell to the sand, limp. Sebastian wiped the blade off and stuffed it back into the sheath on his belt. Taehyung gazed up at him, slowly rising, watching as Sebastian picked up Seokjin and slung him over his shoulder then traipsed over to Hoseok. Sebastian held his hand up next to Hoseok's, joining together their energies, they made one sizable fireball, launching it forward at the creature. The cave illuminated into several hues of orange and red, blinding them all for a moment as it blasted into the creature and knocked it unconscious. The energy exploding into a waterfall of sparks and the light fizzled out, returning them to a semi-darkness once again.

     "Grab Jungkook and Yoongi and let's get out of here," Sebastian instructed Hoseok and Taehyung then turned and sauntered off up the tunnel. They both exchanged glances with each as they heaved Yoongi and Jungkook over their shoulders.

     "That wound looked pretty deadly, I thought he was just supposed to say a spell to knock him out?' Taehyung whispered.

     Hoseok shrugged, not knowing what to make of the whole scene, Right now all that was on his mind was getting back to the lab, asap, so that they could mend the wounded...there was too much blood spilled for one night.

 

     Back at the lab, Hoseok was frantic with caring for three critically wounded patients; Seokjin's wound was not healing, whatever spell Sebastian had used on the sword made it so that the hole in Seokjin's chest stayed open, leaking obscene amounts of blood. Yoongi was still unconscious with his own gaping chest wound and Jungkook was resting behind him on the extra cot, his bite wound was slightly infected from the saliva of the creature and Hoseok kept having to dab off the pus that oozed out of it. Taehyung had to recount his side of the details to the council and it was the worse possible time, Hoseok really needed his help.

     "This is the last batch," Harley announced as she bolted into the room carrying an armful of towels, carefully balancing the heavy stack and setting them down on the counter next to the toad tank. She took the bloody towel off of Seokjin's chest, being mindful not to touch the drenched parts and replaced it with a fresh one, dabbing gently.

     "Has anyone seen Sebastian?" Hoseok asked her, "I can't stop the bleeding."

     Harley shook her head, she was as worried as he was, Seokjin was losing blood at an alarming rate and the transfusions they kept giving him bled out pretty fast. They had only about twenty bags of blood left and then someone was going to have to make a pitstop at the blood bank. They were already above their quota for the month and blood was strictly regulated by the doctors there, getting extra would be a problem.

     "Where did all the blood bags go?" Harley asked him walking to the counter to get a fresh one and replacing the old one on the IV holder.

     "I don't know." Hoseok threw up his hands, exasperated. "I need Taehyung-"

     "I'm here," Taehyung shuffled in.

     "Oh thank the gods!!" Hoseok practically sang. "Check Yoongi-"

     Taehyung dragged the stool over and slumped down, the change had made him exhausted and he barely had the energy to even walk...but, there were things to be done and people to heal, so he'd just have to suffer through the fatigue for now. He lifted the gauze up over where the hole in Yoongi's chest was.

      "How's it look?" Hoseok asked, not taking his eyes off Jungkook as he drained some of the pus and wiped the wound down with his herbal ointment.

     "It's almost fully healed now." He called out and looked over his shoulder at Hoseok.

     "Good, we might need him to get more blood through his connection." Hoseok frowned, "Is Sebastian back yet?"

     "Jimin said he and Namjoon were upstairs arguing with the council, they can't get the authorization to perform the spell."

     "Spiritus morte isn't dangerous, what's the hold-up?" Hoseok didn't understand what the problem was.

     "All I know is they seem to have a plan for Seokjin that involves Cato sticking around." Taehyung sat down on the stool.

     "There is no way-" Hoseok stood and walked to Seokjin.

     "There is yes way." Taehyung burped up a werewolf hair, frowning. "Something is very shady."

     "If he doesn't do it, I will." Hoseok pressed down on the towel. "I don't give a shit about the council's wishes."

     "Are you strong enough?"

     "Barely, but yeah." Hoseok looked over at him, "I need to know what was on that blade."

     "I have an idea." Taehyung smiled. He needed his brother's stealthy skills.

     Hoseok sighed as he grabbed another towel and placed it on Seokjin's chest. "I'm actually surprised he hasn't bled out yet-"

     "Jimin!" Taehyung called out into the room. "Jimin..."

     Jimin floated through the door, looking as if he was just disturbed from a long nap. "What are you bellowing about?"

     "I need your expertise for a crucial mission," Taehyung smirked hoping his brother would take the bait.

     "What mission?" Jimin seemed intrigued. "How crucial?"

     "Find out what was on Sebastian's blade." He stood and handed Jimin a small sample container from the cabinet.

     Jimin held it up to the light, examining it like it was a rare diamond. "Fine."

     "Try to keep it on the down-low-" Hoseok added, perplexed by Jimin's sudden movement upwards towards the ceiling.

       Jimin forgot for a moment that he couldn't just float back up through the ceiling, he stopped himself midway and groaned. He drifted over to the door and opened it, bothered that he actually had to walk up the stairs like a normal person since he was now carrying an object unable to pass through the floor. It was the first time in months he hadn't just glided right through something.

     Harley switched the blood bag, "You know we might as well just pour it on the damn towel."

 

     Sebastian was pacing the floor of Namjoon's office, his face red from arguing with the two new faces locked in gazes with Namjoon and himself. One was a large round woman that looked like she could crush cars with her bare hands and the other, a smaller green guy that reminded him of a walking grasshopper.

     Jimin slipped in the door and stood silent, in the back. Namjoon noticed him, but ignored his sudden presence.

     "Cato needs to be kept alive-" The woman slammed her fist on the desk and everything bounced slightly. Jimin nearly dropped the container out of shock.

     "Your reasoning is rubbish, the amount of damage this man could do is not worth the risk." Namjoon insisted.

     "His purpose for the future is classified," The goblin grumbled, an air of conceit in his voice. "I am unable to discuss specifics with you."

     "What kind of corrupt bullshit is this?" Sebastian was beyond angry, he stormed out of the room and slammed the door, Jimin jumped once more.

     Jimin spotted the sword sitting on Namjoon's desk, a bit of the substance from the blade was smeared on the wood below it, glistening as the sun's light hit it. He floated over and uncapped the sample bottle and scooped a bit inside, smiling to himself as he capped it back closed. When he turned back around he noticed them all staring at them.

     "What are you doing?" Namjoon questioned, looking at the sample bottle Jimin stuck in his pocket, the outline of it partially visible behind the translucent fabric.

     "Seokjin's wounds aren't healing, he's going to bleed to death if we don't figure out what was on this blade."

     "What do you mean, bleed to death, he was hurt?" The woman asked, worried.

     "He was stabbed by Sebastian." Jimin floated to the door. "And I'm wasting time by talking to you." Jimin threw open the door and levitated back out.

 

     He handed the sample container to Taehyung, who poured out a tiny bit onto a slide and went over to the microscope and set it in, he peered through the eyepiece. "It's not alive."

     'Not virological," Hoseok scratched his head, "It could be botanical..an herb or potion."

     Taehyung walked over and set the slide into the analyzer in the back of the room and pressed a few buttons, backing up to let the machine do its job.

     "What is that thing?" Harley asked walking over and stopping in front of it, glaring at it like it could come alive and eat her.

     "Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry machine." Taehyung looked at her and her mouth dropped open with confusion. "It analyzes what's in this mixture."

     "A machine can tell you that?" Harley inspected it, eyes wide.

     "Yeah." Taehyung turned to watch Hoseok change another towel and throw the bloody one into the stack of them sitting in a basket on the floor. "You should bring those up to the laundry, we might be in for a long night."

     Harley looked over and nodded. "Okay." She walked over and scooped the basket up and headed out of the room.

 

     Taehyung grabbed the paper from the printer and read the report over, "Ginger, baical skullcap, ginko, and a very high dose of vitamin E." Taehyung was about to set the paper down when he noticed something peculiar, 'Lonicera Japonica' and 15% were written on the last line. "Japanese honeysuckle?"

     "What?"  Hoseok walked over and took the paper from him and read the line. He looked at Taehyung, his face scrunched up in horror. "Why would he be using this on a werewolf hybrid?"

     Jungkook, who had just been observing everything, chimed in. "What is it?"

     "Lonicera Japonica contains saporic glycosides, in large quantities it's poisonous to canines." Hoseok was confounded, "Basically it ruptures the blood cells causing coma and eventually death. It was used like a hundred years ago to put werewolves into a catatonic state so they could experiment on them while still in the Lycan form without fear of getting torn apart by one."

     "Do you need to use that to do the spell?"

     "No, not at all." Hoseok set the paper down on the counter and walked over to his medicine cabinet and opened it, searching through his supply. "Technically the ginko and skullcap should cancel it out, since they are often used to treat coma patients, but for someone with werewolf blood, it's different." 

      "Wouldn't Sebastian know that?" Jungkook asked, adjusting his back against the wall.

     "Yeah, as a witch he would," Hoseok thought for a moment, "I need something to flush out his system."

     "Bloodroot!" Taehyung had a revelation, he walked over to the cabinet and grabbed the bottle, handing it to Hoseok. "It also promotes healing of tissues when applied to a wound."

     Hoseok was impressed. "Good catch."

     "Blame Jimin, he used to cut me with his claws when we wrestled and I wouldn't heal, so Noni used it a lot." Taehyung smirked, looking up at Jimin.

     Hoseok shook the bottle, "We need more. Wake Yoongi now."

     Taehyung swallowed hard as he looked over at Yoongi, "Okay."

     Hoseok searched for a syringe in the cabinet, peering over at Seokjin, "He also needs to get us some blood."

     As Taehyung walked closer the pangs in his stomach poked him hard, he cursed himself for still liking the elder. He kneeled down to the cot and lifted the gauze to look at the wound, it was fully healed, a tiny hint of a scar in its place. He pinched Yoongi's leg...Hard.

     "What the hell?" Yoongi grabbed his leg, and opened his eyes to look over at Taehyung. "Why?"

     "Get up, you've rested enough." Taehyung pulled his arm to help him to sit up, the elder grabbing his chest as if it still hurt. "We need you to get some bloodroot."

     "Careful, it still fucking hurts." Yoongi pulled his arm away and rubbed his eyes, focusing on the surroundings. "What did I miss?"

     "Can you get some or not?" Taehyung was growing impatient.

     "Yeah." Yoongi cracked his neck and stood, taking the gauze off his skin and throwing it down on the mattress. "How much do you need?"

     "A pint should do," Hoseok answered, walking over to Seokjin to inject him with a syringe full of the herb. Yoongi's heart sank, he remembered that Seokjin had nearly killed him, not even knowing what had transpired once he passed out. He hurried over to him looking down at his lifeless body, noticing the blood-soaked towel laying across his midsection. "What happened?"

     "I'll tell you after you get the bloodroot, it's kind of urgent." Hoseok implored and Yoongi nodded, taking out his phone, he glanced back at Seokjin as he walked out of the room.

     "You okay?" Taehyung asked Jungkook, sitting down next to him.

     "I'm fine."

     "Yeah, fine is the very first thought I had when I looked at you." Taehyung patted Jungkook's knee. 

     "I dunno, guess it's a little hard to process that he told that thing to kill me." Jungkook winced at the pain in his shoulder.

     Taehyung checked the bandage, cringing at the amount of pus that was clinging to it. "It's not him, he wouldn't kill you."

      Jungkook wasn't so convinced, it all came back to Seokjin could have, SHOULD have, fought it.

     Taehyung reached over to grab the first aid kit and removed the wraps and peroxide from the case, "This is going to hurt."

     Jungkook closed his eyes, "Do it."

     Taehyung poured the clear liquid over the bite and Jungkook lunged forward, screaming out. "Sorry." Taehyung pulled him back, grasping his arm to hold him steady as he did it once more.

     "Fucking hell." Jungkook grabbed the side of the cot and squeezed so hard, he crushed the metal frame. Taehyung blotted off the bloody runoff and held a towel to it. He snatched up Jungkook's free hand and held it against the towel, instructing Jungkook to press the fabric to the bite.

     "Keep it on there for a few seconds." Taehyung stood and grabbed some ointment then returned to his seat next to Jungkook, removing the towel. "At least it doesn't smell anymore, it's healing."

     Yoongi plowed back into the room, furious. "Why is Sebastian stabbing him with something that could kill him?" Yoongi slammed his phone down on the counter.

     "I don't know." Hoseok looked over at Jimin as he floated in, realizing he must have filled Yoongi in.

     "Where is he now?" Yoongi seethed, glancing over at Jimin.

     "Last time I saw him, he stormed out of Namjoon's office," Jimin responded going to sit next to Jungkook, he noticed Taehyung putting ointment on Jungkook's wound, spying the gnarly flesh. "That's gross dude."

     Taehyung swatted him away, hating himself for doing so because the cold numbness he got when he passed his hand through Jimin made him want to curl up on a couch and die.

     "He has some explaining to do," Yoongi tore out of the lab, determined to find Sebastian and get answers.

     "Follow him," Hoseok instructed Jimin, who nodded then flew off through the ceiling.

     Harley looked over at Jungkook, "Shouldn't you be the one going after him?"

     "What the fuck am I going to do?" Jungkook clenched his jaw, his muscles twitched. _Let Yoongi be the god-damned hero._

 

     Sebastian was puffing on a cigarette when Yoongi loped out the door, watching as Yoongi stopped for a moment scouring the grounds, then marched over the second he laid eyes upon him, grabbing him by the shirt collar.

     "Explain why you used Japanese honeysuckle on that knife." Yoongi insisted, ready to punch his lights out if he gave the wrong answer. Sebastian flicked the cigarette to the ground and pushed Yoongi back, throwing up a protection spell that kept Yoongi just out of arm's reach.

     "Plan B." Sebastian declared, turning his head to see Jimin float through the wall. "He'll be okay. Hoseok is a wizard with cures."

     "How great would it have been if he bled to death?" Yoongi stated, attempting to push through the barrier.

     "I didn't expect the council to throw a wrench into things." Sebastian defended his actions. "The spell should have been completed by the time the poison set and it would have transferred to Cato."

     "Did you ever think maybe something could have gone wrong?" Yoongi backed up, realizing he wasn't going to break through, he hated witches for this very reason.

     "I have my reasons," Sebastian concluded and walked inside, leaving the two of them without answers. Yoongi screamed out frustrated.

     "Hey, you think he might be up to something?" Jimin asked him, floating down to come face to face with him. Yoongi disliked Jimin, but at least at the moment, he was one of the only people that didn't hold any of this against him.

     "I can almost bet on it." Yoongi took a deep breath.

     "Then I'll find out what he's up to." Jimin assured him, a determined little ghost on a mission, he was glad to have a purpose other than mischief for a change. He floated back into the house. Yoongi leaned against the stone wall, resting his hand on his chest, it still stung...but even worse, he could still feel Seokjin's hand wrapped around his heart and squeezing the life from it. He shuddered, unable to shake the feeling.

 


	47. Spiritus Morte

 

     When Hoseok examined Jungkook's wound earlier, it was about ninety percent healed, just a small amount of pus on the gauze that morning, and his fever had gone away as well. He gave the younger the okay to leave the lab, but he found reasons to stick around, like cleaning out the curmling cage and playing with Charlie #66 or maybe it was Charlie #63, he had no clue. Hoseok suspected he just wanted to be there when Seokjin woke, though he was sure the younger would have no clue what to do when he did. Yoongi also kept lingering in the lab, but he was straight up sitting on the counter next to the cot where Seokjin was resting, making no excuses as to why he was there. Jungkook would shoot him some dirty looks and he would just raise his middle finger at the younger. Hoseok was about on his last nerve with these two.

     "Seriously, if I see your middle finger one more time, I might hack it off." Hoseok threw a frog heart at Yoongi, causing him to fall off the counter with a resounding "Asshole" leaving his lips as he did, grossed out that Hoseok had such nerve.

     "Isn't it unsanitary to have that thing here with a sick person?" Yoongi stood up quickly, evading the graying organ that sat two inches from his nose.

     "The wound is closed and he's not in any danger of an infection, so no." Hoseok resumed testing upon amphibian number...whatever. Once again, setting another carcass on fire.

      "Fucking hell, if that smell doesn't wake him, I dunno what will." Jungkook swatted the air near his nose, his face scrunched up like he had just laid his olfactory glands upon the worst smell ever.

     "You know when he wakes up, he'll probably kill us all." Hoseok used the fire extinguisher on the frog and then grabbed the garbage can. "Cato's not going to appreciate that we've patched him up since we actually almost killed him." Hoseok swept the frog remains into the trash basket and turned to face Jungkook.

     "Sebastian will sort him out." Jungkook handed Hoseok another 'Charlie'. 

     Jimin came speeding into the room, floating through the wall at hyper speed, a foggy blur shooting across the room. He almost passed through the wall on the other side, but Jungkook had managed to grab him to stop him.

     "Who did you piss off this time?" Yoongi shook his head.

     "Some bad shit is about to go down." The overexcited ghost spat out.

     "Calm down, what are you talking about?" Hoseok looked into the frog's eyes and mumbled a spell, it became lethargic.

     "The council wants to take Seokjin into custody.." Jimin was breathing heavy. Hoseok managed to drop the frog from shock.

      "What do you mean 'take' him?" Yoongi asked, going to stand in front of Jimin.

      "Namjoon told me to tell you guys to find a place for him." Jimin expressed, "NOW."

     "Is this one of your pranks?" Yoongi scolded, "I swear to the gods, Jimin-"

      "NO!" Jimin bellowed, "They're coming for him, you need to go-"

      Hoseok collected himself, scrambling to grab the frog that was now hopping away and tossed it into the tank, causing the other Charlies to croak wildly at the sudden intrusion of a flying frog. "I'll get a wheelchair. Jungkook, bring the car around."

     Jungkook nodded and ran from the room.

     Yoongi went over and grabbed a tranquilizer gun from the cabinet and loaded it, pocketing several extra darts for good measure. "Did they say why they were taking him?"

      "I heard dangerous and criminal, that's all I know." Jimin watched as Yoongi stuck the loaded gun into his pocket and went over to Seokjin, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up, just as Hoseok came gliding in with a wheelchair and stopped in front of them, setting the brakes. He bent down to grab Seokjin's other arm and they both lifted him into the chair.

     "Take him to the elevator and out to the van, I'll be right out," Hoseok told Yoongi and Yoongi nodded, he undid the brakes and wheeled him out of the room. "Jimin, stay with Namjoon and keep us updated, okay?" Hoseok grabbed a few supplies and threw them into a bookbag and looked at Jimin.

      "Yeah, okay."

     "We'll take him to Jacker's old place. Let Namjoon know after he talks to the council once they see Seokjin is gone, it's very important you tell him that after they leave."

     "Okay." Jimin nodded, "Hurry, they'll be here quick."

 

     Yoongi clumsily placed Seokjin onto the middle seat of their SUV, taking the wheelchair and stuffing it back into the small area inside the back door, then joined Seokjin in the back, careful not to sit on him. Jungkook climbed over into the passenger seat and Taehyung jumped in his place in the driver's seat. He stuck the key into the ignition and started the vehicle up, adjusting the rearview mirror to make sure no one was coming up the driveway. Hoseok came running out, threw his bag into the back and settled into the third row, leaning over the seat to look at Seokjin. He reached over and handed the seatbelt to Yoongi.

     Taehyung put the car in drive, did a K-turn and raced down to the gate. "Namjoon is going to tell them that Seokjin made a break for it and we're all out hunting him." He said as he pulled out of the driveway and on to the road, gunning it. The mansion disappearing from sight quickly behind them. He glanced back a few times, but no one was following them.

     "They won't believe that." Yoongi adjusted Seokjin's head on to his lap. Jungkook looked away, staring out the window, reminding himself that he just needed to keep it together.

      "It doesn't matter, they can't prove Namjoon did anything against them." Hoseok concluded, "Do you remember the way to Jacker's place?"

     "Yeah, I think so," Taehyung answered as he looked in his rearview mirror at Hoseok. "Why there?"

     "Who would think to look there?" Hoseok grabbed his headphones from his pocket and attached them to his phone, "Wake me when we arrive."

 

     Yoongi and Jungkook set Seokjin down on to a bed that was sitting in one of the bedrooms on the third floor. They both backed up and glanced at each other briefly, then Yoongi walked out of the room without saying a single word. Jungkook grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed, shook it off, and set it over him. He took a deep breath and sat on the bed looking down at Seokjin, the elder looked so peaceful sleeping there, you would never guess that a few days ago he was trying to murder all his friends.

      "You just going to stare at me?" Seokjin asked him groggily and Jungkook jumped up, backing away from the bed.

     "Seokjin?" Jungkook asked, hoping that maybe Cato took leave and was far away from them all. _Why can't this just be some stupid nightmare?_

     "Where are we?"  Seokjin blinked several times, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling.

     "Jacker's house-"

     "What?" Seokjin shot up like he was lying on a bed of hot coals, "Why?"

     "The council was coming to take you."

     Seokjin uncovered himself and sat up, swaying slightly. "The council wants Seokjin?"

     "Cato!" Jungkook backed away, he made a quick run to the door, but Seokjin slipped in front of him, blocking his path as he closed the door by leaning his back against it, not taking his eyes of Jungkook.

     "Why does the council want Seokjin?" Seokjin asked him, his face contorted up into an evil scowl.

     "Because you're dangerous." Jungkook was about to yell out for someone to come help, but Seokjin anticipated it and grabbed Jungkook, covering his mouth with his hand. Jungkook squirmed, trying to break free, three seconds away from placing a devastating kick to the elder's groin.

     "You yell and I snap your neck." The look in Seokjin's eyes made Jungkook shake inside, he stopped moving. "Now, who knows we are here?" Seokjin let go of Jungkook and withdrew several feet, just far enough to gauge the younger's facial expressions.

     "Just us, and the pack-"

     "Does Sebastian know?"

     Jungkook shook his head. "Not yet, I don't think."

     "You're going to help me get out of here," Seokjin informed him.

      "Why would I help you?" Jungkook sassed, "No fucking way in hell."

      "Sebastian is going to kill Seokjin."

      "Bullshit."

      Seokjin smiled, "You're so trusting, it's nauseating."

     "Yet you expect me to trust you?" Jungkook laughed, "Wow." 

     "There are things going on you don't understand." Seokjin scoffed, "Sebastian is not the person you think he is-"

     "What are you talking about?" Jungkook could feel his face heating up.

     "He already tried to kill him once, did he not?" Seokjin asked

     "Technically, one could see it that way." Jungkook nodded hesitantly, "It was certainly reckless-"

     "If he kills Seokjin's body, he kills Seokjin."

      Jungkook stared at him, unsure of what Cato was up to. "Okay, that's usually how it works?"

     "If Seokjin is dead, I can't assume his body, I need a live body to thrive."

      "Okay?"

     Seokjin sighed, losing patience. "He won't care if Seokjin is dead or alive when he performs the spell-"

      "You're crazy if you think I'll believe anything you have to say."

     "I can't live in a dead body, I can take over as the dominant conscience, but not as the only." Seokjin walked closer to him, Jungkook backed up. "He knows I'll search out another body to take..he wants my power for himself..."

     "Bullshit-" Jungkook pushed Seokjin back and headed towards the door, Seokjin grabbed his arm and pushed him against the hardwood, making an audible thump.

     He leaned against him to whisper in his ear. "Sebastian wants my power, and he doesn't want to share it-"

     "Scared to die...again?" Jungkook gritted his teeth, "I won't help you."

     "Help me take over another body and you can have Seokjin back."

     "I help you and you're just gonna do bad things, no."

    "I can kill you and still resume my reign over this world as Seokjin, I still have my contacts, I can build everything back up in an instant, if you help me, I will leave you and Seokjin alone." Seokjin let go of Jungkook and the younger turned to face him. "I am telling you the truth, Sebastian will kill this body if given the chance."

     "Without Sebastian, I lose Seokjin forever," Jungkook snapped.

     "With Sebastian, you will lose Seokjin forever-" Seokjin growled, "He will betray you all-"

     "No." Jungkook thought, "Spiritus Morte kills a spirit, I'm not fucking dumb."

     "Sebastian isn't here to do Spiritus Morte," Seokjin didn't know how else to get his point across without going into a long lecture on things Jungkook didn't need to be concerned with, "If you help me now, Seokjin lives."

     "How the hell am I supposed to help you?"

     "Hoseok just has to perform a simple transference spell." Seokjin reasoned.

    Jungkook didn't understand what game Cato was trying to play, he couldn't imagine why Sebastian would have lied to them. No, Cato was just scared..he knew the spell would kill him and he would try anything to stop that from happening...even play on Jungkook's emotions. "Just accept the inevitable, it's your time to die-"

     "I will take him with me, you can bet on that." Seokjin's evil grin was too much, Jungkook knew he wasn't bluffing, "I will leave Seokjin's body if you help me now, not by Sebastian."

     Jungkook was confused, his head was spinning. He walked over to the window, eyeing the outside for anyone that might be able to see him, the best he could do was pacify Cato until someone came to check up on them. "Who's body do you plan on living in?"

     "Yoongi." Seokjin smiled when Jungkook snapped his attention back on to him, "Think about it, I'm not going to pursue my own grandson and Yoongi is a huge thorn in your side.."

     "Two birds, one stone." Jungkook thought hard about it. "There is no way Hoseok will agree to this."

     "I will get Hoseok to help us." Seokjin walked over to him, "You just need to lure Yoongi in here and knock him out."

     "This is wrong."

     "Wrong is letting Sebastian use his vendetta against Seokjin to hurt him, he isn't here to help."

     Jungkook was conflicted, on one hand, he wanted to rid Seokjin of Yoongi, the elder was a colossal pain in the ass and a rival for Seokjin's heart. Not only that but he and Yoongi did not get along well, so this was one person he would not miss. On the other hand, Yoongi was Seokjin's best friend and he knew Seokjin might not forgive him for helping Cato to 'kill' Yoongi in a sense, because if he was giving up his conscience to Cato - the Yoongi everyone knew would be gone. He also had to think of how much Yoongi was in love with Seokjin - to the point of their friendship would be changed since they had sex. Jungkook shuddered at the thought, which brought him back to being mad and figuring it was better for everyone. Taehyung may not forgive him, not just for what he was doing to a possible future relationship, but in that it was sort of a treasonous act towards the pack, sacrificing one of your own and maybe not even for the greater good. It all came down to, what if Cato was telling the truth about Sebastian - the witch hadn't exactly been completely honest, hell if he thought hard about it, he was downright vague most of the time. Then there was the whole thing with the knife...the knife that was laced with something that would have caused Seokjin to die, if it hadn't been for the quick thinking of Taehyung and Hoseok. One final thought bounced around in Jungkook's brain, Sebastian could still perform Spiritus Morte on Yoongi...

     "I sense your unease." Seokjin looked at him with a sort of empathy and for the first time, Jungkook was sure he saw a glimpse of Seokjin behind those cold black eyes.

     "I can't do it unless I know Seokjin is okay with this, I want to talk to him."

     "I cannot allow that." Seokjin made for Jungkook, but the younger slipped out of the way and headed to the door, his hand grasping the cold steel of the handle. "Wait."

     Jungkook stopped, turning his head towards the elder. "You can kill me, but not before I let out an ear piercing scream-"

     "Fair enough." Seokjin pondered the idea for a moment. He went and sat on the bed, taking in a deep breath. "Five minutes."

     "No tricks," Jungkook removed his hand from the handle. "I'll know if you're fucking me over."

     Seokjin stared at him for a moment, then closed his eyes. A few moments of silence passed before he reopened his eyes, focusing on the surroundings, he settled his eyes upon Jungkook. He jumped up and wrapped his arms around Jungkook in an instance, hugging him tight. "Kookie?"

     Jungkook was utterly weak, he hadn't felt this loved in a long time. His heartbeat must have been audible as Seokjin looked down at the younger's chest and rested his hand over his heart, "Seokjin-" Jungkook did not have a chance to finish what he was going to say, Seokjin planted a kiss right on his lips, sucking in the younger's essence, it had been so long since he had tasted him, Jungkook felt like he was about to collapse.

     "Is it over? Is he gone?" Seokjin seemed out of it, like a frail little baby duck who finally found his mother after days of being alone, not remembering how he got to this moment.

     "No. I wish." Jungkook shook his head, he grabbed Seokjin's face, looking into his eyes, "We don't have a lot of time, I need you to tell me if anything ever happened between you and Sebastian."

     "Sebastian? Noni's son?" Seokjin looked at him, not sure of why Jungkook would be asking him that. "What do you mean...happened?" Seokjin shook his head.

     "It's important you tell me," Jungkook grabbed him by the shoulders, staring intently into his soul. "Please."

     "Sebastian never really liked me, I don't know why." Seokjin mused, trying to recall if he'd ever had an incident with him. "Nothing ever happened with him, nothing that I can remember."

     "Would he kill you?" Jungkook stressed.

     "No, I don't think so, why?"

     Jungkook filled Seokjin in on what Cato had told him, the condensed version. He also recapped what had happened since Cato took over his body. Seokjin was beside himself at everything Cato did while occupying the same existence, then scolded himself for being too weak to be able to control this. Lastly, Jungkook told him about what he had done with Yoongi. Seokjin sobbed, apologized profusely, begging Jungkook to forgive him. Jungkook could not worry about that this second. "Right now, we have bigger problems."

     "This is exactly why I did not want my weak pathetic grandson talking to you, now you've gone and ruined everything Seokjin." Seokjin grabbed his head and screamed. "Jungkook go get Hoseok, find Sebastian. Do it now." 

     Jungkook started for the door, turning to see Seokjin running towards the window and throwing himself forward through the glass and out, down to the ground with a hard thump and a loud moan. Jungkook ran over to the window, peering out, catching himself as he lost his balance and almost toppled out after him. Seokjin was on the ground, three stories below, sprawled out haphazard over a rock, blood dripping down the stone.

     "SEOKJIN!" He screamed out. Yoongi burst in through the door and hurried over, grabbing Jungkook's arm and yanking him back from a piece of jagged glass that fell from the pane.

     "What happened?"Yoongi climbed up on the sill looking down at the mess below.

     "We need Sebastian, now-" Jungkook urged.

     "Go find Hoseok." Yoongi leaped out and landed next to Seokjin's body, picking him up. Jungkook tore through the door at full speed and trampled down the stairs, searching the house. He found Hoseok in the kitchen and dragged him into the main hall just as Yoongi kicked open the door, carrying Seokjin in.

     "We need Sebastian here-"

     Yoongi laid Seokjin down on the floor at Hoseok's feet as the witch bent down, checking for a pulse. "What happened?"

     "He tried to fight Cato." Jungkook bent down and took the elder's hand into his own. There was blood pooling just under Seokjin's shirt, soaking through the fabric.

     Hoseok ripped this shirt open to try to access the damage, there was a small gash in his lower abdomen spewing blood. He used a piece of Seokjin's tattered shirt to press it to the wound. Yoongi sent a text to Namjoon telling him they needed Sebastian ASAP.

     Jungkook picked away a few shards that were stuck in Seokjin's arm, he looked up at Hoseok worried. "Spiritus Mortem, he will survive this, right?"

     "Yeah, it only kills Cato." Hoseok put his hand on Jungkook's shoulder, "We'll get him back, don't worry."

 

     Ten seconds later, Sebastian popped into the room, quickly bending down next to Jungkook, breathing in Seokjin's essence. "He's dying. We need to hurry." Sebastian removed his jacket and threw it aside, placing his hand over Seokjin's heart, he grabbed Yoongi's hand and pulled him down opposite Jungkook, instructing him to hold Seokjin's other hand. "Neither of you let go."

     Yoongi nodded and looked at Jungkook who was now staring back, they both knew this was the moment of truth, when Seokjin came out of this, one bond would remain, and one of them would leave here today, heartbroken. Jungkook closed his eyes and looked back down at Seokjin.

     "Some weird stuff can happen, he will try to fight back. He will say things to try to get me to stop, but don't fall into the trap." Sebastian looked up at Taehyung and Hoseok, "I'm going to need you two to hold him down the best you can."

     "Got it." Taehyung nodded and kneeled down next to Jungkook, ready.

     Sebastian closed his eyes, focusing his attention to his palm. The first light that encased his hand was almost blinding, they all had to turn their heads away for a moment. "Spiritus Cato, praecipio tibi corpus relinquere." (Spirit of Cato, I command you, leave this body now.)

      Hoseok wondered why the spell was in broken Latin. Usually, spells weren't modified.

     "Spiritus Cato, praecipio tibi corpus relinquere." Sebastian repeated.

     Seokjin's eyes shot open, a pained expression contorted his face. "No, what are you doing?" He attempted to sit up, but they all held him down as he squirmed, trying to break free. They held steady as he twisted about. "Jungkook, what are you doing?"

     "Venit tempus." Sebastian talked louder, over the groans of Seokjin's protests. (The time has come.)

      "Jungkook, you can't let him do this. You remember what I said." Seokjin pleaded.

     "You're a liar, shut up." Jungkook closed his eyes, trying to block Seokjin's voice out.

     "Animum moveri debere," Sebastian yelled. (The spirit must move on)

     "He is going to kill Seokjin, you have to stop him..." Seokjin squeezed Jungkook's hand. "Jungkook, you need to stop this now. Jungkook, listen to me."

     "Spiritus ego tibi praecipio reliquere." Sebastian pressed down into Seokjin's chest, leaving finger imprints in his skin. (Spirit, I command you to leave.) Seokjin yelled out in pain. Jungkook glared at Sebastian, hoping to the gods that Cato wasn't right. "Spiritus ego tibi praecipio relinquere," Sebastian repeated several times, sending shock waves into Seokjin's chest, causing him to gasp for air.

      "You're hurting him-" Jungkook looked down at Seokjin then back to Sebastian. Was this all part of the spell? He looked to Hoseok, but Hoseok did not look back, so this must have been what was supposed to happen.

     "Spiritus ego tibi praecipio reliquere." (Spirit, I command you to leave.)

     Seokjin locked eyes with Jungkook and for a brief moment, they both saw a series of pictures playing in their heads, swirling around trying to make sense of themselves. Jungkook saw Abram's cabin in Russia, and Noni setting a plate of spaghetti in front of a teenage Seokjin, and a young Seokjin running around laughing, being chased by his mother. Then he saw the light fading, growing dimmer as the seconds ticked away. _He is killing me Jungkook, help me. Please._  Jungkook struggled to find air, feeling as though he was living through Seokjin, experiencing the pain that the elder was feeling. He winced. _Help me Jungkook!_

"Spiritus ego tibi praecipio reliquere," Sebastian repeated over and over, each time he said the words, Jungkook felt more restricted, like all his oxygen was slowly being cut off.

     "Jungkook?" Taehyung let go of Seokjin and turned to his friend. Jungkook was struggling to breathe. "Jungkook, breathe..."

     "Spiritus ego tibi praecipio reliquere."

      "Jungkook you have got to stop him." Seokjin gurgled, his life force was waning.

     "Spiritus ego tibi praecipio reliquere."

     "Jungkook, breathe." Taehyung peered at Hoseok as the younger began to choke. "What's happening to him?"

     "Spiritus ego praecipio tibi venire mecum." (Spirit, I command you to enter me) "Quae reliquit post mortem ejus, et defluet ." (The vessel left behind shall wither and die.)

     Hoseok glared over at Sebastian, realizing what he had just said, then at Jungkook. "Jungkook, let go of Seokjin." He ordered as he pulled Yoongi away, breaking his hold.

     "Spiritus ego praecipio tibi venire mecum." Sebastian repeated, louder. "Quae reliquit post mortem ejus, et defluet ."

     Suddenly, a bright light pulsated out of Jungkook's body striking the wall across from them, lucent beams cast out from his eye sockets like spotlights, bouncing off the white surface and filling the room like a thousand mirrors lined the walls.

     "What's happening?" Yoongi yelled out, shielding his face from the glow.

    They were hit a series of shockwaves, knocking them all backward - one, two, three..their bodies jolted as points of pressure broke the air pushing against them.

     "Jungkook!" Taehyung spat, shocked at what he was witnessing.

     Jungkook's body was veiled by a glimmering white light that engulfed him, flickering as if varying degrees of energy were breathing around him, almost like it was made up of life itself. 

     "Jungkook, NO!" Sebastian scrambled to his feet, trying to grab Jungkook, but he was thrown back once again by the force of the light. Sebastian recovered and dove for his jacket, pulling out the large knife he had tucked away in it. Seokjin's body began to convulse, spit dripping out of his mouth like he was having some sort of seizure, everyone just watched helplessly, not sure of what to do.

     Sebastian stood and loomed over Jungkook, raising the knife above his head, Taehyung jumped up, pulling Sebastian's arm, causing him to lose balance and fall forward. The knife hit the floor, the sound of the metal clanging against the marble rang out made chills run up Taehyung's spine, he covered his ears trying to block it out. Sebastian clambered forward, trying to retrieve the knife, but Yoongi tackled him back to the ground, holding him down.

     Jimin came floating through the door, followed by Namjoon who swung it open, they all looked up as the door clunked against the wall next to it, the sudden intrusion of wind made time stop for a brief second.

     "This isn't Sebastian." Namjoon hollered and they all turned their attention to Sebastian. Sebastian stopped squirming for a moment to stare back at Namjoon, wondering how the hell he figured it out.

     Jungkook's head flew back, his body began to heat up sending a burst of light upwards, small clouds formed above him touching the ceiling, whirling about as miniature flashes of lightning struck the floor all around him. Sebastian bucked Yoongi off of him, kicking him in the mouth as Yoongi tried to grab his leg. Sebastian crawled towards the knife to recover it. Yoongi lunged forward as Sebastian grasped the knife in his palm, turning over and plunging it through Yoongi's chest. Yoongi gasped out.

     "Yoongi!" Taehyung yelled, crawling over to Yoongi and catching the elder as he dropped. Sebastian withdrew the knife and charged towards Jungkook just as another shockwave hit, hurling him across the room.

     "Quibus morari iubeo corpore exire." (I command you to leave this body in which you reside.) Sebastian called out as he rolled over, he threw his hand up at Seokjin's body, shooting a white light into him.

     Popping swiftly out of Seokjin's chest was Cato's spirit, like a see-thru floating blob of liquid sugar. He twirled around, surveying the room for someone to occupy, eyeing Namjoon for what seemed like an eternity, then making a beeline towards him.

     "Nooo..." Sebastian screamed.  "Spiritus ego praecipio tibi venire mecum." (Spirit, I command you to enter me.)  Cato's spirit did not listen, it did not stop..it kept its course, heading straight for Namjoon...

     Jimin flew in front of his leader, shielding him as Cato slammed into him instead. Jimin fell to the ground in a swirl of dust.

     Jungkook went limp, collapsing next to Seokjin, the elder opened his eyes suddenly, drowsy - feeling as though he just experienced a thousand wars in a few agonizing seconds. He turned his head to the side, watching as the glow from Jungkook's body subsided and all that was laying there was an extremely frail young man. Seokjin grabbed his chest, the pain was excruciating, but he managed to lean up and over, bringing Jungkook into him.

     "K-Kookie." He rattled out, his voice hoarse.

      Jungkook opened his eyes for a brief moment, smiling when he saw Seokjin staring at him, reaching his hand up to stroke the elder's cheek before passing out, his hand falling back to his side, limp.

     "I've got you, Kookie." Seokjin rested his forehead in the crook of the younger's neck, pulling him close. His eyes focused on Yoongi in Taehyung's arms. "Yoongi-" he breathed out before closing his eyes, falling unconscious.

     Hoseok inched over to Yoongi, pressing his hand against the vampire's chest. "Oh god, not his heart." Hoseok knew if that knife pierced Yoongi's heart, he was dead.

     Tears streamed down Taehyung's face. "Hoseok?"

     Hoseok felt for a pulse, relieved when he found one. "Oh thank the gods, it's not the heart."

     "Don't scare me like that." Taehyung smacked Hoseok's arm, then wiped his tears, relieved. He glanced over at where his brother was, the dust had dissipated and there laying spread-eagle in a heap on the ground was Jimin in all his full biological meat sack glory. "Jimin got his body back?!"

     Hoseok stopped for a moment to glance over as Jimin sat up, aided by Namjoon. Jimin was indeed alive again. "Holy shit!"

     "Wh-what happened?" Jimin looked up at Namjoon confused. Namjoon smiled down at him, extending his hand for Jimin to grab so that he could pull him up to stand. Jimin saw his flesh, genuine skin and bones and muscles adorning the hand that up until a few moments ago, was see-thru. "What the hell?"

     Taehyung practically tackle-hugged him, making them both wobble and fall to the ground. "Jiminnie, you're back!"

     "But..." Jimin was in shock, "How?"

     "The gods must have granted you your body back because you sacrificed yourself to save me." Namjoon held out his hand to help them both up.

      "Does that mean that Cato is inside of me now?" Jimin gasped, pawing at his face, trying to see if 'anyone' yelled back.

     "I don't sense him, no." Namjoon smiled, "As a dead entity, you must have canceled his life force out somehow."

     Taehyung was grinning from ear to ear as he wrapped his arms around his brother, all he cared about at this moment is that he had his brother back, for real this time. The sound of Yoongi coughing up blood made them both turn around, the smiled faded from their faces. Sebastian had knocked out Hoseok and was now lifting Yoongi up by the neck. A black smoke circling his body as he glowered at the withering vampire, draining him.

     "Yoongi-" Taehyung started for him, but Sebastian thrust his hand forward, paralyzing him. An invisible barrier blocked them from proceeding any further.

     Namjoon conjured up a force, battering against Sebastian's, sparks snapping out like metal grinding metal. "Articulus destrui." Namjoon counteracted the spell, causing it to burst. 

     "You're going to pay for your interference, Namjoon."

     "Who are you really?" Namjoon crept forward.

     The black smoke began swirling heavier until Sebastian melted off his frame and standing before them was a grey shadow. The shadow moved back a few steps, forming once again into a man. Yoongi stared, wide-eyed, unable to escape.

     "But you're dead." Namjoon emitted an audible gasp as he exhaled a large amount of air all at once. 

     "Surprise." The man yelled, smirking like he just revealed himself the main attraction at a birthday party, his expression turned bitter. He studied Yoongi's weakened body, "Pitiful excuse for a species." He spat.

     "Why would you do this?" Namjoon looked down at Seokjin. "He's your son."

     The man dropped Yoongi and glared down at Seokjin. "I tried it Amari's way, everything I did was for her," He wiped his nose on his sleeve, snarling. "Look where it got me."

     "This is not the way to go about things." Namjoon tried to reason with him.

     "Amari wouldn't hear anything I had to say, she only insisted on protecting him." He looked back to Namjoon. "Even after all the sacrifices I made for her, even after I stayed human with great suffering daily, she wouldn't listen to reason," His tone was indignant. "Jacker even had Madame Kimura confirm the prophecy of what Seokjin would become. She still wouldn’t budge."

     "What are you talking about?" Namjoon noticed everyone looked really confused, realizing they did not know who this man was. 

     "Cato wanted Seokjin to be in command one day, even staked his entire empire on the notion that Seokjin would one day resume his work once he died. Hiding Seokjin threw a big wrench into his delusions.” Yoosun laughed, proud of himself.  “All Jacker had to do was promise Eric his birthright if he killed Seokjin, since he was the only thing that could stop Jacker from coming to power himself."

     "Seokjin's father?" Taehyung looked at Namjoon, who just nodded, confused as much as the rest of them.

     "Why would you want to kill Seokjin?" Namjoon bellowed.

     "Jacker and I planned to conquer Cato and his so called army. It would have been easy, the two of us ruling together, controlling the werewolves." He frowned, "I know now that was never Jacker's long-term goal, he got too greedy, believed that prophecy from Misae about Jungkook."

     "But why now?"

     "I needed Cato's power to regain my full strength. Do you know what it’s like to live years of your life reliving all your mistakes, realizing it could have been so very different? Plus, without Seokjin, the white wolf is useless, isn't he?" He looked down at Seokjin again. "The bond makes them strong when they’re together, but if one of them dies, the other dies mentally. It's a weakness in itself."

      "The legend of the white wolf is just a bunch of stories." Namjoon informed him, "Old vampire folklore-"

     "Fear tactics." Yoongi coughed, clutching his chest.

     Taehyung remembered Amelia's expression when she found out Jungkook was the white wolf, she was frightened.

      "Why is it that you think they fear such a creature? It's best to be thought of as a folktale. The real story needs to stay buried."

     Taehyung and Jimin exchanged glances. Jimin shot him a 'what the fuck face' and Taehyung just shrugged it off.

     "Your library holds the key, the passage locked only by a spell, only breakable by Jungkook himself." Yoosun licked his lips, "If he finds that book, the world is doomed."

     "Yoosun, you cannot continue this-"

     "Can you imagine what would happen if Jungkook figured it out, the two of them together is society's worst nightmare. One destined to kill off the werewolves and the other destined to kill off the vampires-"

     “It’s an awful lot of speculation to stake your life on-“

     “My father never understood the value of patience,” Yoosun’s mouth turned up into a wicked smile, “The onyx harvest their energy to make themselves stronger, but it doesn't last. Wiping out the werewolves is a waste, the vampires know the real money lies in keeping the Lycans breeding, selling off the children..."

     "The immorality of what you just spewed." Yoongi shook his head.

     "Faking your death and killing your son over a legend? What you have done here, the council will put you to death." Namjoon insisted. 

     "Oh, they'll let me go if they want me to tell them where I hid Sebastian. It's quite a tricky spell to free him. Only I know the last word of the incantation."

     "You're a piece of shit." Yoongi coughed, looking up at him, he wiped the blood from his chin. The wound healing itself made his chest tingle.

      Yoosun sighed, he looked towards the door, hearing the sound of tires on the gravel outside, he knew the council had arrived to come take him away. He leaned against the wall, staring down at Seokjin. "Always was a spoiled kid."

     In a matter of seconds, a handful of council members came bustling into the foyer, seizing Yoosun. They affixed his wrists with an anti-magic apparatus and began to lead him out, a smirk spread across his lips as he sauntered past Namjoon. "Just a matter of time before the legend becomes a reality." 

     

     Hoseok helped Yoongi up, examining his skin, watching the wound completely heal before him, all that was left behind was drying blood. "You healed fast. Feel okay?"

     "Yeah, I'm good." Yoongi glanced down at Seokjin cuddled up to Jungkook, quickly looking away. He went over and put his hand on Taehyung's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Thanks."

     Taehyung nodded and watched as Yoongi walked out, then wrapped his arm around Jimin, pulling his brother into another tight hug.

     "You're killing me, Taehyung." Jimin choked out, trying to squirm out of his death grip.

 

     Two days later, Namjoon was still dealing with the council and their ridiculous requests. They were trying to pinpoint if he knew where Sebastian might have been hidden and if Yoosun has mentioned what the spell could be, like somehow, Yoosun would have entrusted them all with the one secret he was planning to bargain for his freedom with. To say the least, Namjoon was stressed. Hoseok was aware Namjoon hadn't eaten four out of six meals and tried to bring him some soup at lunch, but he was once again out of his office and nowhere to be found.

     Jungkook was asleep on the cot in the lab where he had been recovering since the ordeal. His body had been drained, having never experienced such a phenomenon, he did not have ample time to prepare himself for the amount of power he would expel, usually one would have worked up to the moment, having honed their abilities step by step. Hoseok expected him to be out for a few more days.

     Seokjin strolled in balancing a partially eaten burger, fast food bag, drink, his phone, and wallet in his hands and situated himself down on the floor in front of the cot setting his Pepsi down on the tile and pocketing his phone and wallet. He opened the bag, looking up at Hoseok, who had been glaring at him the whole time. "What?"

     "Just gonna eat that in front of me, huh?" Hoseok frowned.

     "Yeah, sorry." Seokjin swallowed down the one burger. "Oh, by the way, Harley is looking for you."

     "Dare I ask?" Hoseok set his goggles over his face and turned back around to face the frog he was about to make into charcoal.

     "Something about a tiny onyx and owing her a steak?"  Seokjin tipped his fry container up to his lips and banged on the bottom, dumping the remaining fries into his mouth, smiling. "She was really happy with herself." He mumbled through a mouth full of potatoes.

     "I think she's starting to regret being privy to Charlie genocide." Hoseok frowned, "I expected to have cracked this by now."

     "Practice makes perfect." Seokjin grabbed his second burger from the paper bag then crumpled it up, He aimed for the garbage and tossed it, missing, the bag bounced back to land at his feet. "Do not have Yoongi's skills."

     "Do I smell hamburger?" Jungkook mumbled, looking over at him.

     "Hey." Seokjin leaned up, surprised. "You're alive."

     "I think so." Jungkook rubbed his eyes, feeling out of sorts, "I might be dreaming."

     "Want a bite?" Seokjin held the burger up to the younger's mouth, Jungkook flinched back.

     "I'll pass." Jungkook sat up, throwing the blanket that was covering him off and swinging his feet over the side of the cot, stretching his body. He felt odd, not 100% yet, but he was feeling a bit restless and couldn't bear to lay down a second longer. He sat there for a few minutes just staring at the side of Seokjin's head as the elder took a drink of his soda, making a slurping noise with the straw.

     Seokjin glanced up at the younger as he took another bite of his burger. "You okay?" He sat up on the cot next to Jungkook, a speck of worry showing on his face. 

     "I will be." Jungkook looked down at the ground. Truth was, he felt a bit awkward right now, he wasn't quite sure how he felt about Seokjin at the moment and he really just wanted time to think about it, alone. Seokjin being next to him right now reminded him of everything he had been through the last few weeks and he wasn't ready to deal with it all and forgive him yet. He took a deep breath, "I kind of just want to be alone for a few days."

     Seokjin stopped chewing and looked at him. "Oh."

     "I'm sorry, I just can't pretend shit is okay." Jungkook apologized, but inside he felt like he shouldn't have to explain.

     "I understand." Seokjin set his food back into the wrapper and crumpled it up as he stood, his appetite diminished almost immediately, replaced by a sort of ache in his chest. He turned to the younger, trying to conjure up a reassuring smile, "Got shit to do anyway."

     "Seokjin-"

     "Get some rest." He nodded to Jungkook as he moped over to the garbage can and dumped the bag and soda, unable to hide his heartache as he turned to the door. Jungkook watched him walk out, feeling a bit guilty.

     

   

      Seokjin walked the grounds for a few hours, attempting to process what had happened in the last few weeks, there was a lot to work through. Namjoon had informed him that his father was alive. Seokjin tried to let that sink in, but his mind couldn't wrap itself around the fact Yoosun had assumed Sebastian's likeness just to try to kill him, wanting Cato's power for himself. The man that had raised him and shielded him from Cato's influence for the first eighteen years of his life had been a fraud, he sold his allegiance to the enemy based off an empty promise from a power hungry demon wolf. His father was no better than his brother, both of them betrayed Seokjin and Amari in the worst way possible. Seokjin could only come back to the fact that if he had not been greedy and just let Cato die, none of this would have happened. On top of all that, his best friend wouldn't even talk to him, he knew Yoongi was hurting and he understood why Yoongi had felt it was better to just avoid him for awhile - but it didn't make it hurt any less. All of this was his fault, Seokjin knew it. He just hoped he could make it up to Jungkook, somehow. He needed to make this better, not just for Jungkook, but for Yoongi and the pack, for Namjoon, and for himself. He wanted the pack to be able to trust him again, but most of all he needed Jungkook to trust him again.

* * *

Quick chapter.  Things will start looking up from here =]

     

     

      

     


	48. Making Amends

 

     Taehyung and Jimin were enjoying the fact that Jimin had his body back, though Jimin still had the inclination to do mischief, it wasn't so easy when you weren't a ghost. He forgot at least twice that he couldn't pass through walls anymore, the worse of it was when he ran straight into one at full speed while chasing Taehyung, nearly breaking his nose and leaving a full body imprint on the kitchen wall. Hoseok said he was going to leave it there so it could remind him of what a dumbass he was that day. Jimin swore he would fix it just to spite the crotchety old witch, but he realized he knew nothing about home repair and cared nothing to learn. On the upside, the pesky brothers took it upon themselves to cheer up Jungkook, to remind him that not everything in life has to be a huge dramatic cryfest. Jungkook was grateful they liked to distract him, he really missed Seokjin, especially since he knew the elder was hurting, but he had to be sure not to rush back into this, he wanted Seokjin to know that what he did was not okay. The brothers being there for him made that all easier to deal with.

     Seokjin didn't really have anyone to distract him, Yoongi was still avoiding him, making it painfully obvious that he was quite perturbed with Seokjin, making no effort to hide his mood swings. Seokjin didn't really have a connection with anyone else, he helped Hoseok a few times with some experiment stuff, but other than that, the elder spent most of his days working out or driving around. Cato may have left his body, but most of his power was still there and with all that extra energy, it was a must to work it off. Seokjin felt amazing, stronger than ever - physically he was perfect, mentally though...he wanted to die.

 

     Namjoon insisted that they all eat together as a pack that night, ignoring the groans and complaints, he gave them all a quest for the day - Hoseok was in charge of getting food, Taehyung and Jimin had maintained that they help, and the three of them chased around cows all day. Hoseok was 98% sure that they just wanted to occupy themselves as to not have to set the table with the good china that Noni had well hidden in the cabinets in the kitchen, because for some reason, old women liked to collect it and rarely eat on it. Jimin insisted they should have just gone to the 'meat farm' and purchased the damn cows, already neatly cut and packed. Hoseok insisted it was good for their animal instincts to 'hunt' every so often.

     Jungkook was put in charge of dessert, Namjoon didn't really care if he made it or bought it, he just wanted to see the table adorned with at least two pies and one very specific cherry chocolate cheesecake. The younger had decided on the latter and trudged into town, hitting up the bakery and supermarket, then having to head two towns over for the cheesecake, as it turned out, Groverfield was famous for their cherry chocolate cheesecakes and Jungkook was quite sure that Namjoon knew that. 

     Seokjin was to make the side dishes. He settled on mashed potatoes, a green bean and pea medley, and beer battered deep fried mushrooms. Seokjin knew he got a bit carried away with it, but the cooking kept his mind off of things he much rather not think about for a short time. 

     Namjoon and Harley decided to dust down and decritter the dining room, it was a room that was barely used and only on special occasions which probably happened twice a century and consequently, maybe the last time this place had seen a thorough cleaning. Namjoon had shown Harley what happens when you let the dust bunnies (or in this case monsters) get out of hand. She was having quite the ~~fun~~ time tackling the job with her newly found powers. 

     Yoongi's job was alcohol, which meant raiding the wine cellar of Cato's estate. The process was quite an ordeal, considering that the estate was still very much haunted and a bit pissed off at the intrusion of a white-haired agitated vampire that kept cussing out loud at how the house sucked and whatever the fuck was stalking him should not so kindly just fuck off.

 

     At half-past seven, the eight of them sat down for dinner, having gone with the mild formal attire idea Harley had, since she had never even had a chance to wear a pretty dress..or have a dinner party for that matter. She insisted all the men wear button-down shirts with a nice tie and dress pants. Taehyung voiced several times that the tie was very uncomfortable and he might die of strangulation. The night was a tad awkward, what with half the members having had history together. 'Ahem', sexual history to be exact, and with half of them not talking to each other. Seokjin was unusually quiet and mostly just looked at his plate, picking at his food while the rest of them talked. Harley showed them all several times how she could transfer into her small fairy onyx self and Jimin got quite a crack out of it.

     "Can you turn into a werewolf again?" She asked him leaning her head on the back of her hand, elbows on the table to spite the etiquette she was forced to learn since she was five, looking at him like he was the best thing since late night deer hunting.

     Jimin went wide-eyed, "Yes. Oh my god, yes."

     "Just don't do it at the table." Hoseok frowned.

     "Aha, no, I'll come find you later," Jimin smirked, throwing a pea at Hoseok.

     "Hey," Hoseok whined picking it off his shirt. "What the hell?" 

     "Sorry, old habits." Jimin chuckled and they all stifled some laughter.

     Jungkook glanced over at Seokjin, the elder didn't even seem to be in the same room with them, he was just staring down at his plate, deep in thought. He quickly looked away feeling somewhat guilty that he was having a decent time and Seokjin was so miserable. He then looked over at Yoongi who kept sneaking peeks at Seokjin, almost like he wanted to say something to him, but held back.

     "So, is the council done grilling you?" Taehyung asked, slurping down some of the juice from the steak and getting a smack from Hoseok, who was on his last nerves with these brothers.

     "Yoosun cooperated with the spell for his freedom, no telling where he's gonna go now," Namjoon answered. The sound of a fork handle snapping made them all look at Seokjin. The elder calmly set down the broken fork and stood.

     "I'm going for a walk," Seokjin announced, looking down at the broken fork. He then pushed his chair away with the back of his legs and headed out of the room. Jungkook thought for a moment, then threw his napkin down, excused himself and went after the elder. He caught up with him just as he was about to open the door, placing his hand on Seokjin's shoulder, he turned the elder around to face him.

     "Hey-"

     "I'm okay, I just need air." Seokjin couldn't bring himself to look at Jungkook, it hurt too much.

     "I miss you." Jungkook blurt out, almost immediately regretting it.

     Seokjin looked him in the eyes, unable to keep the gaze after seeing the regret in his eyes. Seokjin turned quickly and opened the door, about to step out into the night, he stopped short when he saw Yoosun standing there, hand extended, about to knock. Seokjin's face instantly turned red, he was filled with a rage, having to restrain himself from throttling his father into non-existence 

     "Why the hell are you here?" Seokjin seethed and Jungkook could feel the heat coming off of him.

     "Is that any way to greet me Seokjin, I'm still your father." Yoosun stepped inside, closing the door, "We need to talk."

      "I have nothing to say to you." Seokjin hissed and went to turn around, but Yoosun stopped him, grabbing his arm, only to have Seokjin yank it back just as fast.  Seokjin grabbed his dear, old, back from the never dead dad by his collar and was seconds away from socking him one, when Namjoon came into the room.

     "Don't do it, Seokjin, he's protected by the council at the moment, he'd have you arrested if you lay a hand on him." Namjoon spat, annoyed that the piece of shit got off so easily.

      Seokjin blinked, unsure of what he just heard. "What?

     "You'd do best to hear me out." Yoosun removed the fabric of his shirt from Seokjin's fist and straightened out the wrinkles.

     "Leave, nothing you say is anything I want to hear." Seokjin raised his voice and Jungkook tensed up, the tone of his voice was alarming.

     Yoongi and Hoseok came into the doorway. Yoongi completely lost it, he rushed straight over and decked the traitor, watching as Yoosun hit the floor with a thud and grabbed his mouth, turning to look up at the fierce vampire. "You son of a bitch." Yoongi screamed, Seokjin had to hold him back. "You fucking piece of shit."

     "I'll let that be a freebie." Yoosun snarled as he stood up, dabbing at his lip with the back of his hand.

     Yoongi broke free of Seokjin's hold and backed up, "Wait until the council lifts the protection." Yoongi yelled, "See how much I back off then, you fucking traitor."

     Seokjin stared at Yoongi a second longer than he should, smirking at the thought of his best friend going full rogue and taking Yoosun out, it was a fight he would pay to see. Jungkook felt a fierce pang of jealousy, not liking how Seokjin was looking at his rival.

     "There are some things we need to clear up." Yoosun looked at his son, an older, much more worn and hairy version of Seokjin, it was obvious who he favored in the visual department. Yoosun reached into his pocket and everyone went on the defensive. "Woh, it's just a handkerchief." Yoosun grinned, a little too amused by the fact that they feared what he could do. He held it out to Seokjin, who just looked at his hand, not interested. "Take it, your mother wanted you to have this."

     Seokjin stared down at it and reached out slowly, taking it and unfolding the handkerchief to reveal a small locket inside. It was the one that Amari never took off, he had always wondered what was inside of it and she always told him that one day when she was gone from this world, he would find out. He was almost overcome seeing it there, tarnished, sitting in the silken threads of a tattered handkerchief. He took a deep breath and reached out his other hand, gently pushing the clasp and watching as it popped open in his palm. Inside was just a picture of himself as a toddler. He remembered the day that picture was taken, it was an extremely sunny day, he had to wear a baseball cap with the visor tilted down to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight and his mother kept fussing at him to leave it on. "It's the day I caught my first deer, why was this day so important to her?"

     Yoosun shook his head. "It was the day she convinced herself that the rumors were all lies."

     "How was she convinced?"

     "Do you know how many four-year-olds can catch a full-grown deer galloping at full speed?" Yoosun questioned and Seokjin merely shrugged, "In all of history? Three."

      "I don't understand?" Seokjin wanted to know more, but he also did not want to hear it from this man.

     "Amari feared that the prophecies could be true, but somehow when she looked at you catching that deer, she knew in her heart you'd turn out okay." Yoosun harbored a great contempt for that day, "She decided from that day on, she would protect you from Cato. We went into hiding as best we could, but it's an arduous task to hide an onyx hybrid because you stand out so much."

     "I was at Cato's house as a kid-"

     "Yeah, I had my own plans for you." Yoosun sneered, it was clear that he had a much different future in mind for his son. "He said it was okay, to placate her, let her believe you were safe from being the heir."

     "So lie to her?" Seokjin fumed.

     "If you want to put a label on it." Yoosun shrugged, not really caring what Seokjin thought about any of this. "She had other plans, had your memories of Cato hidden by Misae." Yoosun looked at Jungkook, "Misae was very busy."

     Jungkook looked at Yoosun confused.

    "Misae was working against him the whole time, she was pretty crafty, had us all fooled."

     "You were working against him too, let's be real." Yoongi snapped. Yoosun smiled.

     "I tried it her way, I lived as a human, did my best to keep you away from Cato." Yoosun shrugged again, "The instinct kicks in hard. When Jacker found me through Eric, he knew he could appeal to my onyx nature and I let him, because I wanted that throne, I believed in his plan to save a species from extinction-"

     "So you could enslave them-"

     "Specifics aren't important." Yoosun shrugged.

      "You're a walking shitbag." Yoongi didn't hold back on what he thought of Yoosun and his demented plans. "You think yourself a hero."

     "If my Father believed in me as much as he believed in Seokjin, maybe this would have all ended up differently." Yoosun shot Yoongi a dirty look.

     "Oh, boohoo." Seokjin mocked him. "All this over some daddy issues?"

     "Jacker and I made a deal, I'm not ashamed of it, I was denied what was rightfully mine."

     "So how didn't you die?" Seokjin wondered aloud. "I saw you burn in that fire."

     "You saw an illusion." Yoosun placed his left palm over his right and conjured up a small ball of light, twirling it around until it started to stretch out, turning into a life-sized version of himself burning to death, complete with horrific sound effects. It fizzled out and went up in a puff of smoke. "My grandmother wasn't just an onyx." Yoosun boasted, his level of magic was quite impressive, they had to admit. "Jacker thought wolfsbane would kill me, burned the house for good measure. Being a full blown witch has its advantages."

     "So you off your son and use the werewolves as slaves?" Yoongi laughed, "Wow."

     "I deserved that throne." Yoosun screamed, "That was my legacy."

     "You didn't even believe in what he was doing-" Seokjin spat.

     "Cato and I may have had very different ideas of how to use the Lycans, but once I killed him none of that would have mattered."

     "So kill us both off and just continue on your merry way?" Seokjin scoffed, "Lie to me my whole life?"

     "Get over your 'daddy issues'." Yoosun ridiculed, "Why would it surprise you that I wouldn't have been that attached to you? I never even fucking wanted you."

     "Then why did you fulfill her wish and bring this to me?" Seokjin balled up his fist, the locket inside warm against his palm.

     "I loved her, she was my bond mate." Yoosun cleared his throat, a bit choked up. "I didn't expect her to die. It was only supposed to be you." Yoosun clenched his jaw, "Eric's greed messed that all up."

     Seokjin felt sick, all these years he thought his father was betrayed as he had been, losing his life in a fire. He had mourned him, dedicating his life to seeking out his revenge on Jacker, only to find out now that his father was an ever bigger piece of crap than his brother. "You've given me the locket, now get out." Seokjin looked Yoosun in the eyes, disgusted by what he was seeing (and hurt by all the lies and animosity his father spewed.)

     "Very well." Yoosun looked at Seokjin for a moment. "Thought I should warn you though, the council is keeping a close eye on you two." He looked at Jungkook, "Especially you right now."

     "Great. Leave." Seokjin opened the door and pushed him towards it. Yoosun nodded and walked out, hands held up showing that he would not protest being thrown out. Seokjin slammed the door and leaned his head against it.

     "He's right about the council." Namjoon announced, "Amelia has them all concerned you both will fill the position of the next super villains."

     "A little hard if we're not together." Seokjin looked at Namjoon, then opened the door, "I'll be back later."

     Jungkook watched the elder walk out, not sure of what to do next, he just stood there dumbfounded. _A little hard if we're not together. Not together._ Those words hit Jungkook like a wallop to the stomach. He shuffled over to the stairs and thumped down, watching as the rest of them headed back into the dining room. Reality had a way of slithering up and biting you square on the ass.

     

     Seokjin found himself at the edge of the river, studying the locket. Engraved on the back of it was the word 'Hope', he ran his fingers along the small letters etched into the gold. "Hope." He snorted, the last thing he felt was any sort of belief that any of this would ever be okay again.  He held his arm straight out and let the locket fall the length of the chain, dangling over the rushing water, swaying slightly from the force of it leaving his hand. " What hope?" He dropped the locket and watched as it fell in slow motion, hitting the water below with a plop. The current carried it away as it sunk down into the dark water and out of sight.

     "You'll miss that when you're not feeling so shitty about yourself." Yoongi stepped alongside him.

     "Not exactly the person my Mom thought I'd turn out to be." Seokjin looked over at him.

      "Who is?" Yoongi kicked at the rocks sticking out of the water, "Maybe that's a good thing."

      "Sure." Seokjin looked back at the water.

     "What are you doing?" Yoongi asked him, focusing his attention to Seokjin.

     "What am I doing with what?" Seokjin looked back over.

     "You're out here feeling sorry for yourself." Yoongi responded, giving a head shake. "This isn't you."

     "I fucked shit up, you think I should feel good about that?" Seokjin furrowed his brow, realizing Yoongi was giving him one of those don't be a wimp talks he was so good at.

     "It happened, you won't help anything being out here whining about how bad you made things."

     "I'm not whining." Seokjin was slightly offended.

     "Sulking, just silent internal groans if you come down to it." Yoongi placed his hand on Seokjin's shoulder. "I got over it, I'm not going to dwell on something that I knew was pointless in the first place."

     "Am I getting my best friend back finally?" Seokjin grumbled in a questioning manner.

      "I'll always be here, but not so sure about Jungkook. That kid needs a kick in the ass, he's more stubborn than you."

     "I'm pretty sure all he sees when he looks at me is regret." Seokjin looked back down at the water. "I can't make this up to him."

     "Maybe he doesn't need you to make it up to him, maybe he just wants you to chase him, make him feel like you actually give a shit."

     "He told me he needed time-" Seokjin protested.

     "He was hurt, what did you expect." Yoongi shook his head, "Dense motherfucker." Yoongi was getting a deep pleasure from lecturing Seokjin on the rules of relationships, "Go fucking chase him, don't give up so fucking easily."

     "I can't take being pushed away again."

     "Take it anyway, push back harder. Show him he's worth giving a damn about." Yoongi nodded to himself. "It's been two freaking weeks, I'm pretty sure you've suffered enough." Yoongi frowned at the thought, "All this angst is making my skin wrinkle."

     Maybe Yoongi was right, he had nothing to lose at this point, he was already alone..and the worst Jungkook could do was tell him to fuck off. He would just try again and again until Jungkook forgave him. Seokjin looked over at his best friend, grateful that Yoongi always managed to be there for him, but ashamed that he caused him so much pain in the first place. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

      "Me too." Yoongi grimaced, "Christ man, too much mushy for me in one damn day. I'm going to try to convince Taehyung and Jimin we need to go wreck shit or something."

     Seokjin laughed to himself, watching as Yoongi drifted off back into the woods, before turning back to the water. The moon was reflecting off the water, giving off an energy, recharging him with a sense of courage. The whole scene was a bit too surreal and he wasn't about to let the moment pass without any results. He took out his phone and texted: **Hey.** to Jungkook and hit send.

     It took a good five minutes for Jungkook to text back a whopping two letter reply. **Hi.**

     **You busy?** Seokjin replied.

**No, why?**

**Can I come see you?**

**Why?**

     Seokjin took a deep breath, this it, rejection time. **Because I miss you Jungkook.** He sent back **,** expecting Jungkook would either ignore it or reply with something like 'whatever' or 'K'. He sat down on the bank of the river, prepared to settle down in this spot for a heartbroken night. Another ten minutes passed and he sighed, content with putting his phone in his pocket and coming to grips with the thought that Jungkook just wasn't ready yet, when it vibrated.

    **I miss you too.** Seokjin smiled as he read the words aloud. He closed his eyes, a bit relieved, but not about to get his hopes up just yet. He had so many things he could say, he wondered if he should push it or play it safe. No, safe wasn't going to get them back together...

     He was about to start typing when another message came in: **I could use a spotter.**

     Seokjin stood up quick, Jungkook was giving him a reason to come see him, this was good news. _Calm down, Seokjin, he's still mad and hurt, don't fucking push this too far. You can do slow. You got this._ He psyched himself up. 

**Ok, I'll be there in 5.**  he texted back and pocketed his phone. He took a deep breath, combed down his hair with his fingers, and tested out his breath by blowing into his palm and realizing that shit didn't work when all he could smell was the sweat of his palms. He counted to five, then took off running back up to the house, stopping at the door to the weight room to catch his breath.

     The door opened and Seokjin walked in, slightly sweaty. Jungkook's heart skipped a few beats as he eyed Seokjin in the mirror. He set his weights down and looked away for a moment, trying to gain his composure. He couldn't be too quick to let Seokjin back in, no matter how much he missed him and how good he looked right now.

     "Hey." Seokjin stopped at the foot of the weight bench, looking down at him sitting there.

     "I'm fairly certain I got this, but 300 pounds is new for me, so I don't want to die like that." Jungkook knew he was babbling, but Seokjin didn't seem to care. All Seokjin could concentrate on was how amazing Jungkook looked in his black tank top with sweat beads dripping down his tan skin.

     "I wouldn't let you die." Seokjin felt bad as soon as the words left his lips, he couldn't say the same thing a few weeks ago. "At least not this week."

     Jungkook chuckled, he had to be able to laugh about at that, because the other option was to dwell on it and he spent enough time these last few months being somber. Seokjin felt a bit better, smiling a little.

     Seokjin located himself into position and spotted as Jungkook did his five reps, admiring the way the younger's veins popped out of his skin and the curve of his muscles contracting with each lift. Seokjin handed him a towel after he set the weight bar back up on the rack. "I'm impressed." Seokjin sat down on the bench next to him. "I think you lift more than me now."

     Jungkook wiped his forehead then glanced over at the elder, "Do you...do you still have Cato's..strength?" He stammered out, not sure if he was comfortable asking such a thing.

     "Most of it," Seokjin answered, then sighed. "It's the strongest I've ever been."

     "Was it worth it?" Jungkook looked away, halfway into a stand, Seokjin grabbed his arm.

     "No." Seokjin pulled him back down to sit. "No amount of power is worth what I did."

     "I'm sorry, I didn't want to bring it up-" Jungkook took in a deep breath and Seokjin knew he was trying to hold back his tears.

     "Don't be sorry, none of this was you." Seokjin looked down at the floor. "The power felt great, I won't lie, but it's nothing compared to how you make me feel."

     Jungkook couldn't handle the confession, he stood and walked to the door, "I'll see you tomorrow." Jungkook managed to stammer out, he didn't bother to look back as he hurried out.

     Seokjin buried his head in his hands, so mad at himself for being so stupid. He screamed out in frustration, all he wanted to do was hit something. He jumped up from the seat and went straight over to the punching bag, striking it with so much force, he broke his hand on impact. The deafening crunch of the bone splitting in half shocked him, it had sliced right through his skin, protruding out through his wrist. "Shit." Seokjin grabbed his wrist and drew it up to his chest, blood was oozing down his arm. He needed to get down to the lab quickly.

     The lab was empty and dark, he felt for the light switch and flipped it up, blinking as the bright overhead lamps flickered on. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, dialing Hoseok. No answer. "Shit, where the hell are you?" He hung up and dialed Taehyung, it rang several times and then went straight to voicemail. _Where the fuck is everyone?_ He saw Jungkook's contact, _Shit, he's not gonna pick up._ But he did.

     "What?" Jungkook's voice came through the other end after a few seconds silence.

     Seokjin was starting to feel faint, "I need your help." Seokjin blurt out and it made Jungkook alarmed.

     "What's wrong?" Jungkook asked, wondering what could have possibly happened in the last three minutes since he left the gym.

     Seokjin took a picture and sent it. "I'm in the lab. I need to lay down." Seokjin sat the phone down on the counter and sunk down onto the cot, his shirt was now covered in his blood and his wrist was beginning to feel like it was on fire, a burning sensation stung his skin. It took Jungkook less than a minute to come through the door.

     "Fucking hell, how?" Jungkook rushed over to the cabinet and grabbed supplies, he had no clue what to grab, so he just reached for whatever was sitting in front of him and then dropped down onto the cot next to Seokjin, releasing everything from his arms, watching helplessly as it all went straight to the floor. "Did you try calling Hoseok?"

     "Yeah, and Taehyung. It won't heal if the bone is through the skin, I need you to set it." Seokjin was now sweating.

     "No way, I can't." Jungkook was utterly useless when it came to the body, he didn't like messing with the insides, seeing Seokjin's bone hanging out through the skin made him want to throw up.

     "I can't do it myself, you have to." Seokjin pleaded, "Please."

     Jungkook was panicked, he didn't know how to do these things. "We can call Namjoon, he can do it."

     "Hurry." Seokjin was feeling rather faint now. Jungkook stood and grabbed his phone from his pocket, and dialed. No answer. "Where has everyone gone? What the fuck?" Jungkook looked down his list of contacts. _Yoongi._ He was reluctant, but a moan from Seokjin made him swallow his pride and dial.

     "Jungkook?" Yoongi's voice was confused, "What the fuck do you want?"

     "Shut up and listen. Seokjin broke his wrist, I can't set it, he's bleeding like crazy, can you help?" He managed to get all that out in a few seconds and Yoongi almost had to ask him to repeat it, but he got the gist with 'Seokjin', 'hand', and 'help'.

     "Where are you?"

     "The lab," Jungkook replied and stared over at Seokjin, the elder looked pretty pitiful sitting there, Jungkook felt bad, he was sure this had something to do with him abruptly leaving the gym earlier.

     "I'll be right there. Have bandages ready." Yoongi hung up and Jungkook went straight over to the cot, scavenging through the supplies he had dropped earlier. He picked up the roll of bandaging and peered over his shoulder at Seokjin.

     "Yoongi is on his way." Jungkook grabbed a towel from the counter and placed it under his arm, Seokjin screamed out from the pain. Jungkook backed up frazzled. "Sorry."

     "You're okay." Seokjin grabbed Jungkook's arm with his good hand and squeezed. "I'm sorry I fucked everything up."

     Jungkook didn't know what to say, he just stared at Seokjin.

     "Jungkook, I love you more than anything in this world and I'm never giving up on us, I'll spend every last one of my day's proving that to you."

      Jungkook was about to respond when Yoongi came in, he pushed Jungkook out of the way and grabbed Seokjin's arm, "You're gonna want to hold on to something."

     Seokjin reached out for Jungkook's hand and the younger grabbed it, Yoongi took that moment when his concentration was on Jungkook, to set the bone. Seokjin screamed out, squeezing Jungkook's hand so hard, the younger's scream matched the elder's in a chorus of 'AGHHHH's.

     "Fuuuuck." Seokjin's expletive ended the loudness.

     "Wrap it up." Yoongi told Jungkook and backed up, sticking his finger in his ear and wriggling it around, "I'm deaf now, thanks."

     "I owe you." Jungkook was cringing as he said it and Yoongi laughed.

     "Don't worry about it, but you should at least spend the night with him, he shouldn't be alone," Yoongi informed him, then looked over at Seokjin, smirking.

     "I'll be fine." Seokjin protested, not wanting to burden Jungkook.

     Yoongi walked over and looked at his arm as Jungkook began to bandage it up. "It's not healing fast like it usually does." Yoongi gave Seokjin a wide-eyed look, trying to convey that this was a perfect opportunity to let Jungook take care of him. Seokjin shook his head, trying to convey back that he would not take advantage of him like that.

     "It's fine, you can stay in my room if you want." Jungkook wrapped over the jagged part of his skin and Seokjin winced. "Does it hurt?"

     "No." Seokjin lied. "I just need sleep."

     "Yoongi's right, you shouldn't be alone." Jungkook insisted, "Stop being a baby and just grab your pillow and come to my room." He secured the bandage and looked at his handiwork. 

 

     Seokjin held his pillow under his arm, about to knock on the door. _This is stupid, you're not this weak_. He removed his hand from in front of the door and was about to turn around when Jungkook opened it. _Shit._

     "Just get in here." Jungkook grabbed his pillow out from his arm and threw it onto the bed. Seokjin stopped and sighed.

     "This isn't really necessary." Seokjin moved the fingers on his bad hand, holding in a scream, "It's practically healed."

     "I'll sleep on the chair, you can have the bed." Jungkook grabbed Seokjin's good arm and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind him.

     "Fine." He walked over to the bed and sat. Jungkook turned off the light and removed his shirt, throwing it across his dresser. When he walked into the moonlight that was streaming through the window, Seokjin noticed he was wearing the symbol necklace he had gotten him on his 18th birthday. "You still wear it?"

     "Huh?" He looked down at his neck, grabbing the pendant. "Oh, yeah."

     The thought that Jungkook hadn't destroyed it or hidden it away meant he still cared. That meant he had hope. He watched Jungkook drape his feet over the side of the chair and pull the blanket up over him. "You don't have to sleep on the chair, it's your room." Seokjin stood up and snatched his pillow. He walked over to the chair, in front of Jungkook. "Take the bed."

     "You'll injure your hand if you sleep on this thing." Jungkook reminded him and closed his eyes, "Go to sleep."

     Seokjin sighed and walked back over to the bed. He plopped down and laid back, not bothering to put his feet up, he focused on the ceiling, sighing loudly again.

     Jungkook opened one of his eyes and looked over at the elder. "Something wrong?"

     "I feel guilty." Seokjin groaned.

     "Why?" Jungkook lifted his head up.

     "The only reason I'm here is because I injured my hand-"

     "Stop, okay. I wouldn't have told you to come to my room if I didn't want you here. Just go to sleep." Jungkook laid his head back down.

     "I can't, not with you sleeping on the chair," Seokjin complained.

     "Are you serious right now?" Jungkook sat up and sighed, he rose sharply and stomped over to the bed, throwing his pillow and blanket down and collapsing onto the mattress, gathering his pillow up under him. "Is this better?"

     "Now you're just making fun of me." Seokjin sat up.

      "What?" Jungkook sat up. "How?"

     "It doesn't matter." Seokjin stood and clutched his pillow, "I'm going to back to my room."

     "Oh my god." Jungkook yelled out, "What is your problem?"

     "Goodnight." Seokjin left the room. Jugkook sat there wondering what the hell just happened. He kicked off his blanket and pondered the situation for a few moments, he had half the mind to go kick the elder's ass.

 

     Seokjin just laid down when his door burst open, he sat upright in a hurry, thinking he was under attack. Jungkook flipped the light on, looming there, outraged. "I should kick your ass." Jungkook bellowed and Seokjin flashed an expression at him like he was crazy.

     "Excuse me?"

     Jungkook shut the door violently and Seokjin jumped, swinging his feet off the bed to face the younger. "I'm sorry that I can't just open right up to you, I am trying so hard to let this go, but all I see when I look at you is you with your hands all over Yoongi, I wish to fuck I didn't." Jungkook rested his hands on his hips and looked at the floor, trying to catch his breath, "I don't even know if it was you or Cato that did that-"

     "It was Cato-"

     "Shut up and let me finish." Jungkook scolded, glaring back at Seokjin. The elder closed his mouth and listened. "I love you and that's what makes this so hard, I want to forgive you so bad, Seokjin." He took a deep breath, "But looking at you hurts still...and wanting to be near you makes this so much harder," Jungkook paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Do you know what it's like to need something so bad, but you can't have it?"

     Seokjin looked down at the floor, "Now more than ever." He felt the water escape his eyes, and he wished to the gods he couldn't feel any more.

     Jungkook's heart sank, he was so mad at Seokjin, but seeing him hurting like this killed him. He was so torn, he desperately wanted to run over and hold Seokjin's in his arms, but how could he? How could without giving the wrong impression? He witnessed Seokjin bury his head in his hands and sob, not expecting to ever see the elder in such despair.

     "Don't." Jungkook could barely hold back his own tears. "Don't cry-"

      "Just tell me if I'm wasting my time," He looked up at Jungkook, the elder's tear-soaked eyes burnt right through Jungkook, "Do I still have a chance?"

      _Yes. No. I don't know._ He honestly didn't know what the future would bring, but one thing was for sure - "I can't imagine my life without you." Jungkook wiped the damn tear that managed to squeeze through his duct. Seokjin stood and rushed over to Jungkook and took him in his arms, holding him so tight, that Jungkook felt he would burst. Jungkook reluctantly wrapped his arms Seokjin and hugged him back. God, nothing ever felt so good as having Seokjin in his arms right this minute.

     "Don't give up on me." Seokjin begged, "Please." Seokjin couldn't control the flow of tears that streamed down his face and he didn't even care if Jungkook thought him pathetic right now, all he cared about was that Jungkook didn't turn him away. "I can't do this without you."

      Jungkook lost it, he never cried so hard in his life. Nothing felt as right as this moment felt right now. He'd never seen the elder so vulnerable and he knew if Seokjin was willing to let him see this heartsick side of him, then he really did love him.

     Somehow they ended up on the bed and fell asleep in each other's arms. Jungkook stroked Seokjin's hair until he had fallen asleep, then had drifted off himself. Jungkook knew one thing was for certain, he didn't want to give up either.

 

 


	49. Back to Better

     Slow and steady wins the race. What a crock of shit. Jungkook looked back at Taehyung and Jimin jogging the length of the field behind him and then back up at Seokjin who was a few feet ahead. Jungkook knew the brothers weren't about to win any race, they much rather plot out pranks than be competitive. Seokjin, however, was in it to win it, which was both a blessing and a curse in his case. It was good though to be getting back to doing normal things together. It had been two days since they cried together in his room, Jungkook felt that was a turning point though. The next morning when they talked, Jungkook knew he wanted to give Seokjin a second chance, so they were going to take things slow. They had gone out to dinner last night like an actual date night, honestly, Jungkook wanted to do other things with the elder as well, but he wasn't letting his hormones rule his head.

     Sudden rain. That's what it took for Taehyung and Jimin to haul ass up the path and back to their vehicle. Jungkook and Seokjin both stopped to watch them, laughing their butts off at how a little water was the one thing that would make these two reach hyperspeed. Seokjin looked up at the sky, the rain felt good on his body - the run worked up a sweat and the refreshing drops that tapped his skin, cooled him down. Jungkook couldn't help but stare as Seokjin held out his arms and threw his head back. He felt compelled to do the same, and there they stood, the two of them inviting the rain down, twirling around, basking in the pitter-pattering that fell upon them.

     Taehyung wiped down the condensation that fogged up the inside of the window in the SUV, peering out at the two of them, a perverted grin taking over his mouth. Jimin climbed over the seat to join him, wiping down a section for himself to see out of.

     "Five dollars they end up doing it right there." Taehyung joked and Jimin laughed, smacking his arm. Jimin turned back around and rested his legs on the top part of the seat in front of them.

     "So Tae," Jimin wanted to choose his words wisely, because his brother had a habit of blurting things out when he wasn't supposed to. "What do you think of Harley..um Harley's...talent?"

     "Talent?" Taehyung turned around rolling his eyes, reaching forward to turn the radio on, low enough that he could still talk. "You like her, just say it."

     "I didn't say I liked her-" Jimin sighed.

     "I think she is into you, if that's what you wondered." Taehyung looked over at him, raising his eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.

     "You..you're..ugh." Jimin knew he couldn't deny it, his brother was too perceptive when it came to this. "She's cute, that's all. I didn't say I wanted to date her."

     "Well if you do, I approve of this one." Taehyung laid his head back. "You know, if you wanted to date her." 

     Jimin wanted to wipe the smirk off Taehyung's face with a punch to the mouth. "You're too smug."

     "One of us has to be lucky in that department." Taehyung laid his head back against the headrest, blowing air out of his mouth and watching his lips flap.

     "You still like Yoongi?" Jimin knew he did, but he was hoping maybe Taehyung had an epiphany and came to his senses in the last two hours.

     Taehyung shrugged. "Define like, I would say attracted to, definitely. Like? I dunno anymore."

     "So then, yes." Jimin patted Taehyung's thigh. "I see the way you look at him, it's more than attraction."

     Taehyung lifted his head up to look over at Jimin, slightly horrified. "I'm not that transparent, am I?"

     "Nah bro." Jimin lied, "Not too transparent."

     Taehyung's thoughts were interrupted by two wet intruders jumping into the front seat. He looked up at Jungkook and Seokjin, hair and clothing soaked, looking at each other with their heart eyes. "That transparent?" Taehyung nudged his head towards the front.

     "No one is that see-thru." Jimin could feel the energy that Jungkook and Seokjin had towards each other pulsating all through the car like some lovesick song was playing violins all around them. "Those two are so serious they need their own ship name."

     Taehyung laughed, watching Seokjin start the car up and put it into drive. "Seokkook?"

     "Sounds like you in the kitchen." Jimin cackled and Jungkook glanced back at him, wondering what the hell was so funny.

     "You're hilarious Jimin." Taehyung frowned, smacking his arm.

 

     Harley took the bowl full of green beans over to the table and sat down, taking them out one by one to break them in half and snap off the ends, Hoseok was busy chopping up some beef to grill up some kebabs. Fall was fast approaching as apparent by the sudden chillier weather and falling leaves, he figured there weren't too many days left to do some grilling. Jimin teased him that he was becoming one of those barbecue dads and soon he would be wearing slippers around the house while scratching his ass cheeks in his dirty boxers. Hoseok had turned him into a hamster for that remark, leaving Jimin in a bottle on the counter for all of twenty minutes, only being released once Taehyung realized the hamster looked eerily like his brother. 

     "You deserved it." Hoseok frowned, missing the days that Jimin was a ghost.

     "I think I have fleas now, thank you." Jimin scratched his back, trying to maneuver around to get the spot that he couldn't quite reach and giving up with a frustrated scream. "A hamster, Hoseok?"

     Hoseok laughed and Harley looked over at Jimin. "I bet you were cute though." Harley blushed and turned back to her bowl of beans. Suddenly Jimin felt a bit better about becoming a furry rodent. Taehyung winked at him, mouthing the word 'cute', Jimin just shot him back a look that suggested he best stop teasing him.

     "So where's Jinkook at?" Taehyung asked

     "Jinkook?" Hoseok's raised eyebrow made Jimin chuckle.

     "The resident Weltschmerz love birds." Harley enlightened him and he nodded.

     "Weltschmerz?" Jimin looked at her strange.

     "Angsty," Taehyung whispered into his ear.

     "Then why not just say that?" Jimin whispered back.

     "I've been studying the mind." Harley shrugged, having heard what he said. "Trying to understand what makes people tick."

     "How'd you like to study mine, tell me what's wrong with me?" Jimin kidded.

     "Smooth." Taehyung shook his head and walked out of the room.

     "I don't think she has that sort of time," Hoseok added, turning back to the plate of chopped up beef and grabbing the skewers.

 

     Seokjin and Jungkook had decided earlier that morning to go on a spontaneous hiking expedition - some rock climbing, hiking up trails and then camping overnight, a little getaway to themselves with no one else to bother them. They didn't even tell anyone where they were going, they just up and left. Not that they were that worried about being invaded, but let's face it - Jimin and Taehyung were pesky these last few weeks and practical jokes were running rampant in the house, they could do without the distraction. Jungkook had never been camping, other than outside in his backyard as a kid, so this was a new experience for him. Seokjin gave him the evil task of setting up the tent, gauging his aggravation level the whole time. He had to laugh to himself a bit after 20 minutes of witnessing Jungkook cursing the poles and why they didn't just snap into place like the instructions said.

     "Insta-set poles my fucking ass." Jungkook threw it down and sat on the ground, pouting. Seokjin had to stifle a fit of internal laughter from becoming audible to the younger, as he set up the logs for the campfire they would start at dark.

     "Trouble?" Seokjin set the last log down and spun around, scanning the ground for large rocks to set up around the logs.

     "Don't suppose you just want to sleep in the car?" Jungkook kicked the pole laying on the ground and stood, brushing the dirt off the back of his pants.

     "You're going to give up already? You've only been doing this for-" Seokjin checked his watch, "Damn, 22 minutes."

     "You want me to shove this pole up your ass?" Jungkook picked it up and shook it at him, threatening his very existence.

     "Tell you what, you go find some big rocks," He motioned with his hands the size rocks he needed. "And I'll have this together by the time you find three.."

     "Bullshit, there is no way that that is physically possible, this fucking tent is possessed," Jungkook whined. Seokjin burst out laughing, only to stop when he saw the murderous gaze the younger threw back at him.

     "I would take the bet then, if I don't have it together by then, you got me for one favor, anything you want." Seokjin smiled, raising his eyebrows.

      Jungkook pondered this for a moment. _How hard can it be to find three cantaloupe-sized rocks?_ This was one bet he knew he'd win, no doubt. "Fine, I'll take that bet."

     "Just don't get lost." Seokjin walked over and grabbed a pole, Jungkook smirked. "I'll even give you a 20-second head start."

     "Awful cocky." Jungkook walked off into the bushes, quite confident. Seokjin shook his head, counted to twenty and then put the tent together in less than five minutes. He was sitting on one of his fold-up chairs, feet propped up on one of the logs when Jungkook sauntered back over fifteen minutes later, dropping three large rocks down, eyes wide. "How in the hell?"

     "Welcome back, thought maybe you were eaten by a bear or something." Seokjin reached down and grabbed a hat from his backpack.

     "You're a fucking wizard," Jungkook poked the tent to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "How?"

     "You ready to go hiking?" Seokjin stood up and scooped up the rocks Jungkook had dropped, setting them up by the campfire. "We're going to need like ten more."

     "So what magic did you use, really?" Jungkook went and picked up his backpack and slipped it on.

     "Pure talent." Seokjin pulled out his phone. "Map or no map?"

     "Map." Jungkook tightened the straps, "No, no map."

     Seokjin saw there was a message from Yoongi. "No map it is." He pocketed the phone. "You ready?"

 

     Jungkook found a wild blueberry bush in the first ten minutes of their hike and had picked off a hat-full to eat as they walked. Seokjin hated blueberries, so Jungkook kept pelting him with the fruit, laughing as it bounced off the elder's neck and head. The younger was in a good mood, so Seokjin was not going to chance yelling at him to stop. Honestly, he was just happy to see Jungkook smiling again. It was too bad he was spending so much time watching Jungkook and not where he was stepping because the rock he missed sent him straight into the river with a splash. Jungkook lost it, nearly falling in the river himself during his fit of laughter. Seokjin was not about to stand for this, he stood up, grabbed Jungkook's arm and pulled him into the river, dunking him several times for good measure. It was a giant fit of giggles from the both of them, frolicking around in the water together.

     When they got back to the campsite, Jungkook dug his waterlogged phone from his pocket and held it up, he chuckled, "Oh shit."

     Seokjin took his out of his shirt pocket, holding it up. "I'm good."

     "This is your fault." Jungkook smiled, not mad at all.

     "I'll buy you a new one." Seokjin checked his phone, seeing an additional two messages from Yoongi sitting in his inbox.

     "Any new messages?" Jungkook asked throwing his phone aside and bending down to try to start the fire.

     "Yoongi." Seokjin had contemplated not telling him, but he didn't want any secrets between them.

     Jungkook frowned, "What's he want?"

     Seokjin shrugged, "Dunno, didn't look." Seokjin put his phone back in his pocket. "Not important right now."

     Jungkook glanced at the elder, a sudden sense of reverence washing over him as he watched Seokjin kneel down on the other side of the logs. Seokjin blew off Yoongi for the first time..ever, making it clear that all that was on Seokjin's mind was him. Seokjin reached into his backpack and took out some matches, then stood and walked over to sit next to him, holding out the matches for him to take. Jungkook looked down at the elder's hand, smiling, he looked up at his face.

     Seokjin turned to him feeling Jungkook's eyes on him, "What?"

     Jungkook just smiled, taking the matches. "Nothing." He took out a single match and struck it against the igniter, then lit a small twig on fire. Seokjin dug back in his bookbag for snacks and Jungkook just stared at him, he was sure in that moment that he had fallen in love with Seokjin all over again.

     "Do you want popcorn or potato chips?" Seokjin held them both up, but Jungkook could not take his eyes off the masterpiece sitting before him. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Seokjin seemed baffled, thinking maybe a giant insect had taken residence on his face, "Bug?"

     Jungkook shook his head, "No bug."

     Seokjin lowered his head and gave him a sassy look and Jungkook just smiled wider. "Come on, what is it?"

     "I'm utterly head over heels in love with you," Jungkook said softly and Seokjin was taken aback, his mouth was wide open, unsure of what to say. Jungkook dropped the twig on the the logs, determined to start this fire before the sun set and they couldn't see shit, smiling to himself because he made the elder speechless. "Popcorn."

     Seokjin had forgotten for a moment he had hands, he looked down at them, registering that he was still holding up two bags up, he set the bag of popcorn down next to Jungkook's thigh, his heart all aflutter. He didn't expect to hear those words again for a long time. Seokjin's mood was significantly lifted now, he sat back and opened his bag of chips, grinning from ear to ear.

 

     Yoongi put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Taehyung and Jimin, shrugging. "They aren't answering-"

     "So they're dead or screwing." Jimin interrupted, kicking a soccer ball towards the back wall of the castle. It swooshed past Hoseok's nose as he was lifting the grill hood to throw some kebabs on. It hit the stone just behind his head, bouncing back out to Jimin, who caught it.

     Hoseok side-eyed Jimin as he was about to kick the ball again, he held out his hand and as the ball once again flew towards his head, he conjured up a small wind spell that caught the ball and sent it flying back at Jimin, hitting him on the back and knocking him down because he had turned to talk to his brother and wasn't paying attention.

     "Dick," Jimin yelled out, getting back to his feet and Taehyung laughed.

     Harley smiled, turning back to the grill and handing Hoseok another kebab. "You know what has me perplexed?" She started, watching as he set the kebab down next to the others and reached out for another.

     "Why Jimin is such a shithead?" Hoseok smiled to himself, taking the next kebab.

     "No." She shook her head, thinking he was serious, "Yoosun is a witch onyx hybrid, right?"

     "Yeah." Hoseok closed the grill lid and turned to her.

     "Then why isn't Seokjin able to do magic?"

     "It doesn't always pass down." Hoseok said simply, "Magical abilities are a recessive trait."

     "Really?"

     "Yeah, not all witches have kids who inherit the trait, so you can have a very unmagical child even if both parents are powerful witches."

     Harley sighed, "This stuff confuses me."

     Hoseok leaned against the patio wall, looking out at the trio kicking the ball back and forth, noticing how much Yoongi looked out of place in his leather jacket and ripped jeans. "I'm more worried what traits Jungkook has yet to manifest, if his father really is the god of weather."

     "You think he and Seokjin will work things out?" Harley seemed concerned.

     "I do. They have a strong connection even without the onyx bond. You should read about the legend of Skotadi and Tempest sometime."

     "How funny is it that the offspring of two great gods could be either the destroyer of worlds or the savior?" Namjoon had snuck up and joined them without being seen. "Alleged anyways, no proof that Tempest is his father."

     "Namjoon!" Hoseok was slightly startled, opening the grill lid again and swatting away the puff of smoke that floated up towards his face.

     "I have to talk to you when dinner is over." Namjoon grabbed one of the kebabs off the grill and held it up, nodding to Hoseok as a non-verbal agreement that he was taking it, then turned and walked back into the house.

     "Why is he such a recluse?" Harley watched as the door closed.

     "Think he's still grieving Nari." Hoseok felt a pang of pity for their leader. Harley had no clue what love felt like, but from watching those around her that experienced it, she wasn't sure she wanted to. She glanced over at Yoongi and Taehyung, they seemed to be getting along pretty well, though Taehyung was apprehensive about giving his heart away too fast again.

     "Those two are so different too." Harley commented frowning, "Why do opposites always fall for each other."

     "Not always." Hoseok returned to his kebabs, "So, what about you and Jimin?"

     "Jimin?" Harley choked out, her face turning a bright shade of pink. "What about him?"

     "I'm not blind," Hoseok smirked.

     "You think I like Jimin? Oh my god, does he think so too?" Harley panicked, looking out at him juggling the soccer ball with his feet.

     "Calm down, I dunno if he does or not," Hoseok dished up the first three kebabs onto a plate. "I think you'd be good for him."

     "I would?" Harley turned back to Hoseok, taking the plate in her hand and holding it up for him, wanting to hear more.

     "Yeah, his last girlfriend is the reason Taehyung is a zombie."

     "What?!" Harley shrieked, "What happened?"

     "Long story short, Jimin held him down while she stabbed him to death-" Hoseok started, and she gasped, he turned to her quick, "You okay?"

     "Why would you suggest I be with someone like that?" Harley's wide eyes turned to a grimace.

     "He's more than made up for it, he died for Taehyung and risked his afterlife for Namjoon, I'd say he's one of the good guys now." Hoseok took the plate from her, "It's a long complicated story, one I'm sure he'd tell you if you asked."

     

     It was a bit past midnight and Yoongi couldn't sleep, he was wandering around the castle grounds when he noticed Taehyung's light was on, he stood there for a few moments staring at the window, wondering if the younger was awake, contemplating whether he should wake him if he wasn't. He searched the ground for a pebble and found one, he was about to throw it when Taehyung peeked over his shoulder.

     "Don't do that, you'll break it." Taehyung whispered and Yoongi jumped, dropping the rock.

     "What the hell are you doing out here?" Yoongi pushed him back, whining, "You scared me."

     "I couldn't sleep." Taehyung kept walking and Yoongi ran to catch up with him.

     "Me either."

     "Well obviously, I didn't think you were sleepwalking." Taehyung joked.

     Yoongi grunted out a small laugh, "Where are you going?"

     "Checking on my garden, think I have a moth colony eating my mugwort." He scowled, swatting away a stray bug that dive-bombed his head. "Hoping to spray them down."

     "Gross." Yoongi looked up at the moon, unsure of what to say or if he should even be here next to Taehyung at the moment.

     "Wanna help?" Taehyung stopped at the shed and opened the doors.

     "Sure." Yoongi barely had time to answer before Taehyung had thrust some items into his hands, then bent down to grab his sprayer, "What is all this stuff?

     "Uncap all three and pour it into this bucket." Taehyung set a bucket down on the ground and Yoongi looked down.

     "Um, okay." Yoongi knelt, setting the bottles in his hands on to the grass. He uncapped the first one and took a whiff, "Agh, what is this?" He held the bottle arm's length away from his face and began to pour it into the bucket.

     "Little something Hoseok and I cooked up in the lab." Taehyung giggled.

     "This isn't going to kill me is it?" Yoongi half expected Taehyung had an evil plan in the works, determined to seek revenge on him and turn him into a toad.

     "If I was going to kill you, do you think I'd do it in the garden?" Taehyung smirked, "This is my favorite place, I couldn't off you here."

     "True." Yoongi agreed, this wouldn't be the time or place to do such a thing. "Then you do plan to off me?

     "For sure." Taehyung mustered up the most serious face he could produce, "Maybe eat your brains while I'm at it."

     "So no chance at forgiveness?" Yoongi poured the second bottle into the bucket.

     "25% chance." He shrugged, watching as Yoongi uncapped and poured in the third bottle. "Be careful with that one, you get that on you and you'll stink for days."

     "Smells like a skunk." Yoongi made a face and Taehyung laughed. "Only twenty-five?"

     "Maybe thirty after this is all over." Taehyung snapped the sprayer on and connected it to a sprinkler that was connected to a small motorized mechanism. "Stand back."

     Yoongi stood and backed up, leaning against the half wall by the gazebo as Taehyung turned the motor on and ran over to join him. "All that to kill moths?"

     "And other shit." Taehyung sat up on the wall, looking up at the moon.

     "You're really amazing and weird at the same time." Yoongi smirked, inhaling the air, glancing up at the moon. "I love the smell of autumn."

     Taehyung was shocked; a compliment, an insult and then...the most normal thing he'd ever heard Yoongi mutter. "Did you just act like a normal human being?"

     "I shudder at the thought." Yoongi was offended, "Human?"

     "Well, semantics." Taehyung glanced over at Yoongi and frowned, "Who are you and what did you do with Yoongi?"

     Yoongi sighed. "This is why I don't talk to people."

     Taehyung laughed and Yoongi smiled. "It's nice, you should be normal more often."

     "What is normal but a subjective reality?" Yoongi shrugged. 

     "Now I just think you're channeling Namjoon." Taehyung elbowed him playfully.

 

     Jungkook was nestled into Seokjin's chest as they sat against an immense oak tree just staring at the moon, Seokjin's arms were wrapped around the younger and his chin leaning against Jungkook's head, his hair was tickling his cheek, but he didn't care. The younger reached up and clasped hands with him and there they sat, staring at the moon in each other's arms, a beautiful scene straight out of a perfect, but cliche love story. Seokjin would not trade this moment for anything in the world, he didn't even care that the bark was digging into his back or that the root under his left butt-cheek was poking him. He finally understood what the word 'love' really meant.

 

 


	50. Epilogue; Jungkook's POV

 JUNGKOOK'S POV : Epilogue.

_Today was my 19th birthday - Sept. 1._

_I'd like to say that everything in life has a happy ending, but wouldn't it be boring if every plan actually went off without a hitch? If every little detail was perfect? Yes. It. Would._ _My life, more importantly, my life with Seokjin, it's been a rollercoaster ride - a ton of ups and downs. A couple times it's left the track completely. But, he's the love of my life. My partner in crime. My bond. My Soulmate. Take your pick, they all fit. There were a couple times I didn't quite believe that, but I think my heart always knew. My heart will always lead me back to Seokjin, and I know that's cheesy or cliche, but the truth is the truth no matter how trite it sounds. I also know there will be more challenges to face along the way, I can't wait to face them, with Seokjin by my side. I know I can tackle them, conquer them, make them my bitch..and we will come out stronger._

_Tomorrow we set out to find the truth about my real father and why I was meant to be fathered by a god, instead of just a human hunter. Taehyung and Hoseok have theories - the two of them armed with theories is both amazing and terrifying. You never know what these two will accomplish - or whether or not there will be mass destruction to follow. I have a feeling this journey that I am heading towards, there is a path that will cross with Yoosun, I believe he knows more than he has told us. Seokjin and Yoongi have plots to kill him, but I think deep down, Seokjin wants answers just as much as I do. For both of us. The whole legend of the rival gods - Skotadi and Tempest; it means something. Too many prophecies have been written for our story to fizzle out._

_Jimin and Harley have been closer, though I think there might be a triangle with Hoseok - I can't decide if he likes Jimin or Harley...or both. They don't seem to mind the addition of a third wheel though, so the whole thing is really either very sordid or weirdly platonic. I sense lots of adventures for them. If, you know, they don't kill each other first._

_Yoongi. Where do I start?  It's true, I will never trust him or... even  like him for that matter. We rub each other the wrong way, I know one day I'm probably gonna be stronger and kick his ass, put him in his place. He's Seokjin's best friend and yeah, that bothers me a bit still, but Yoongi's been behaving. I know he still has feelings for Seokjin, but he doesn't act on them. He's letting his best friend be happy and for that I am grateful. I do kind of feel sorry for him, but I also secretly enjoy the torture he must feel. Agh, I'm working on this. Somewhat. I kind of feel that Seokjin might actually still have a thing for him, he swears to all the gods that he doesn't - but I feel in my soul, that a miniscule part of him will always have just a bit more than friendly love towards Yoongi. I'd like to say for Taehyung's sake that Yoongi would be thinking of settling down and making the little flings they have every so often actually mean something. Taehyung is one of the smartest and sweetest people I know, he deserves the moon and the stars - which is more than Yoongi can give him at the moment,_ _so in that regard, I hope Taehyung finds someone worthy of his affections._

_Namjoon is still a gigantic enigma within the pages of a mystery novel locked inside a keyless chest buried deep inside a cave underwater. He loved my mother, I find it weird that he could have actually been my sperm donor (I dare not to say father, because the human hunter I knew as my Dad, will always be my Dad.) Namjoon's weekly visit with council seems to send him home with migraines - he deals with a lot of stress. I wish he had someone to confide in (Maybe he does, no one knows where he disappears to, sometimes days at a time.) I still feel his pure energy inside of me. The only reason I am 'the white wolf'._

_My story is far from over. I don't think Seokjin knows how to live a boring life anyway. He likes to fight, he likes power and lucky for him, he loves me. I'm the one who keeps him grounded and reminds him to chill out once in awhile. I figure if any of the fucking prophecies are even close to true - that I might have to slap the shit out of him a few times. I refuse to let him go to the dark side, I don't think he is harboring a hidden villain within though. The world is moderately safe....for now. I am sure there are other malevolent entities waiting in the shadowy creases of existence._

_It would seem as though Cato had many things in the works when he died, like a hidden room of treasure within a cave system in some forbidden forest in China. Hoseok has a huge thirst to dig it up. (I don't think he ever fully converted from his lawless beginnings) I have to be honest, the whole idea of a treasure hunt seems...fun. I need fun. I think we all need fun. Abram said he would coax Madame Kimura out of hiding, maybe she can conjure up a vision of a map. Cato was the sort that kept his hands dipped in many different cookie jars - so I know there are more surprises threatening to need attention in the future._

_Oh yes, I almost forgot. The creature in the caves. It ate a woman, straight up swallowed her whole. Needless to say, the thing had to be captured and moved. Hoseok's dragon heartbeat invention was upgraded from beta to working prototype. It's just a fancy recording of a mother dragon's fetal Doppler reading, on loop. Jimin teases him that he literally could have just used a cell phone app to record it and play it back like a normal person would. But no. Hoseok needed to make it wearable..on the wrist. The damn tastiest, fleshy part of a human - dangly arms are like a delicacy to sharp-toothed quadrupeds._

_Seokjin is calling me back to bed. Yeah, it was time to jump back in the sack. Here is where I would insert a perverted grin like Taehyung makes when he's trying to be crass. Our relationship is going strong in all aspects of the word. I would try to convert him to monkism, but I just like his...'cough'...appendage too much._

 

* * *

 

For now, the story I have spent the last 6 months of my life on, is now...officially done. 'Mark story complete' is checked off (I got goosebumps doing it - wow.)

I don't want to say anything is ever really over though. I believe these boys (and girl) have stories ahead of them...and maybe, perhaps, a sequel or two in the future. Jungkook's epilogue leaves room for more adventures down the road. I have other ideas I want to explore, other OTPs maybe. Always going to be a JINKOOK Enthusiast tho haha (I say that because obsessor sounds so...extreme) - Also, I am too in love with these characters to ever really let them go.

I really hope everyone enjoyed it - I appreciate all the comments (more than you will ever know!!!) - reading how much everyone enjoyed it kept me going, and inspired me to go on... and the upvotes on AFF and kudos here- Wow, thank you!! THANK YOU!!!  

A huge goal accomplished-  I reached over 600 subscribers on AFF - that in itself is "Oh man holy shit" worthy!!  Anyway, long-winded speech over - Thank you for reading and I hope to make my next story just as exciting~!!

 


	51. BONUS 1: The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have decided to do like a 10 chapter bonus add on - had a good idea of a storyline to continue off. So I decided to add it at the end as bonus chapters - can be read with the story or ignored.

     

 _The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step_   _\- Lao Tzu_   

 

      

     The journey was very specific, a search to find the truth. The step, however, was the tricky part. Finding the truth amidst a pack of lies was like trying to put together a giant puzzle with half the pieces missing. Jungkook wondered if any of them really knew the actual truth anymore. Between the stories that had been fabricated and the ones passed from one mouth to another, details became so twisted it was hard to weed out the facts from fiction. It was already two weeks past his birthday and he wasn't much closer to finding out the identity of his father than he was when he found out about the whole sordid tale.

     Jungkook shuffled into his bedroom, frustration creasing his brows. He threw his bookbag down on the bed, watching as it bounced off the mattress and landed on the floor with a dull thud. Seokjin glanced up from his laptop to see what the issue was.

     "Everything okay?" Seokjin watched Jungkook remove his shirt and throw it on the floor and grab a tank from the closet, he turned to the elder and sighed.

     "Define okay." Jungkook slipped on the shirt and sat on the edge of the bed.

     "We'll figure this out." Seokjin assured him.

     "I know, it's just frustrating how everyone hides the truth." Jungkook laid back and stretched out. Seokjin admired the tensing of the younger's defined muscles.

     "That's very distracting," Seokjin smirked, concentrating back on his laptop screen. Jungkook rolled over and laid his head in Seokjin's lap.

     "You could take a break." Jungkook raised his eyebrows and Seokjin accidentally typed a string of F's across his screen.

     Jungkook was amused by the typo, "See, even the keyboard is like, fffffuck Jungkook now."

     Seokjin snorted.

     "I've tracked down one of Cato's children to three towns over." Seokjin was determined to concentrate on the computer as he backspaced over the F's to ignore the cute way Jungkook's eyes crinkled when he smiled.

     Jungkook leaned up and situated himself behind Seokjin, he placed his hands on his broad shoulders and began to massage. Seokjin closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath to suppress a moan. "You need to take a break, you're tense as fuck."

     "I can't rest if they are still out there trying to start hybrid wargames."

     Jungkook leaned in close to Seokjin's ear, "You think a twenty-minute break is really gonna make a difference?"

     Shivers went up Seokjin's spine, Jungkook's breath on his neck was too much. "Oh god, you're killing me." He bit his lip.

     "Good." Jungkook situated himself into Seokjin's lap straddling the elder, carefully moving the computer over to the nightstand. "You can't resist me."

     "You know I can't." Seokjin laced his fingers through the younger's hair, pulling it back to expose his neck, he lightly brushed his lips against his flesh, planting tiny kisses on Jungkook's collarbones. The younger found this to be so sensual, the feeling of Seokjin's lips against his tender spot sent an instant jolt of electricity downwards. He let out a soft moan and Seokjin bit his lip once again.

      It was all in vain because a knock on the door made them both look over as Namjoon walked in, stopping short. "Was I interrupting?" 

     "If I said yes, would you come back in twenty minutes?" Seokjin whined.

     "I don't have time to come back and I figured you two would want to hear this." 

     Jungkook exhaled loudly, making his point, he climbed off the elder and plopped on the bed next to him, feeling a little stiffer than he wanted to be.

     "What happened now?" Seokjin mustered up some concern, all his attention was still on Jungkook.

     "Dagma bribed Tempest for the truth about the night Jungkook was conceived."

     Jungkook sat upright and looked at him, mouth agape. "Is he my sperm donor?"

     "Yes. The gods refer to that night as Nimborum in nocte, or for those of you who don't speak broken Latin, The night of Storms." Namjoon walked over to the window and peered out.  "It was so bad, it caused a blackout in most of the state."

     "So that's why Jungkook is afraid of storms." Seokjin squeezed the younger's knee.

     "I believe so, yes." Namjoon turned to them, "Now the question is, why Tempest?"

      "Has to be the whole Tempest-Skotadi thing, right?" Seokjin contemplated, "They want to be sure that the prophecy doesn't come true."

     "I can only speculate at the moment." Namjoon nodded, "I wish Hoseok would return, I need to pick his brain about some things." 

     "We'll need to rename the pack to the young demigod club soon if this shit keeps up." Jungkook frowned. Namjoon walked over to the door.

     "I have an appointment, so I'll leave you two to your thoughts." Namjoon walked out, shutting the door behind him.

     "Well, this is-"

     "Yeah." Jungkook finished his sentence, reaching for Seokjin's laptop. "You should get Yoongi to go with you today, I've got some research to do."

     "I think Yoongi's avoiding me again." Seokjin stood, making a face. "You sure?"

     Jungkook nodded, "I trust you."

     Seokjin leaned down close to Jungkook's lips, "I love you."

     Jungkook gave him a quick peck, "I love you too."

 

     Yoongi spent as much time away from the castle as he could, he thought about returning to his house, but the memories there were far worse than seeing Seokjin around the castle. He didn't like thinking about what happened on that couch. Truth was, he wasn't over Seokjin and he knew he probably never would be, but he wasn't blind to the truth, there was no future for them, so he just pretended everything was fine. It was exhausting. Taehyung was also growing tired of the late night visits and had kicked him out the last time he went, two days ago. Yoongi knew Taehyung deserved better, so he respected his wishes and didn't push it. He really did like him, but he just couldn't give him his heart.

     

     Seokjin dialed Yoongi, he answered on the third ring. He was determined to lie and say he was out of the country on some important vampire mission, but when Seokjin spoke, he lost his nerve. Plus, he was sure that Seokjin would know that he wasn't.

     "Where are you?" Seokjin asked.

     "I dunno, around." Yoongi decided simple answers would piss Seokjin off,  enough so that he wouldn't ask any favors.

     "Close to the castle?"

     "Maybe." Yoongi was sitting on his motorcycle staring at the waves crashing onto the beach in front of him. He heard Seokjin huff on the other side.

     "I need you, can you come back?"

     "I guess." Yoongi scrunched up his face, it really bothered him to be so rude to Seokjin. "Maybe later."

     "Are you trying to piss me off?" Seokjin exhaled, there was a brief silence. "Fine, text me when you get back."

     "Yup." Yoongi pocketed his cell and got off the bike. He hated himself right now, not just for the whole Seokjin fiasco, but because inside he felt lost, like he had no purpose in life; Both his parents were dead, the only real family he had disowned him, and about ninety-five percent of the vampire population didn't want anything to do with him. All he had left was the pack and he was pretty sure most of them were still a bit upset with him. He needed some sort of direction, a plan to bring him out of his rut and give him a reason to want to go on. Maybe a psychiatrist too.

     His phone rang again.

     "What?" 

     "Are you close yet?" Seokjin was smiling, Yoongi could feel it through the phone.

     "No." Yoongi switched ears and sat down in the sand.

     "I know what you're doing." Seokjin chided, "Get your miserable ass back here."

     "Or what?"

     "I will hunt you down." Seokjin smirked, "I'm serious. I need your help."

     "Why not ask bunny boy?" Yoongi grinned. The nickname always made Jungkook peeved.

     "Jungkook is busy." Seokjin paused for a moment, "I mean if I need to come kick your ass, I will."

     "Ugh fine, give me twenty minutes." Yoongi stood up, "This better be important."  He pocketed his cell phone and looked up at the sky.  _Damnit Seokjin._

 

     Seokjin was putting a backpack in the trunk of his car when Yoongi pulled up on his motorcycle and skidded to a stop. He took off his helmet and set the kickstand. 

     "It's been twenty-five minutes, you're late." 

     Yoongi smirked, rolling his eyes. "What fucked up shit are we doing that Jungkook can't know about?" Yoongi walked over and threw his helmet in the trunk and looked down, studying the contents for a clue.

     "Jungkook knows, he's sitting this one out."

     "So it's messy?"

     "It's messy." Seokjin closed the trunk, "Interested?"

     Yoongi shrugged, playing off being neutral "Sure. Details?"

     "You know I've been tracking the remaining of Cato's clan-"

     By clan, he meant Cato's children, the ones that had escaped joined forced with a small pack of others continuing the madman's work. The death of their leader did not halt their activities, they seemed even more hell-bent on carrying on with his plans and avenging their father's memory. Seokjin was making it his business to personally hunt down the remaining twenty and end their existence. They called themselves the 'Generals' and it appeared as if each general had their own small pack. They were dangerous, to say the least. Their desire to perpetuate the extermination of the werewolves was causing issues all over the world. On one hand, it was uniting the werewolves, bringing the packs together to neutralize the threat, but the problem was, there had already been at least fifteen deaths.

     "The generals?" Yoongi closed the trunk and leaned against it. 

     Seokjin nodded. "I've located one of them three towns over, wannabe wizard opened up a portal and is trying to call over the dead."

    "How powerful is said wizard?" Yoongi and Seokjin walked to the car doors and opened them.

     "Just one simple spell straight out of a book, no magical ability at all." Seokjin opened the driver's side and climbed in. Yoongi looked up at the window over the door of the castle, he saw Jungkook staring down at him. He gave a slight nod, but Jungkook didn't acknowledge him. He turned back around and climbed in the car.

     "Bunny boy is okay with me going with you?"

     "Why wouldn't he be?" Seokjin fastened his seat belt.

     "Umm, no reason. I guess." Yoongi propped his legs up on the dash.

     "What?" Seokjin started the car, "I know you have something to say."

     Yoongi took a deep breath, "Nope."

     

     Seokjin would be lying if he said he didn't still think about that night between them, if there was never a Jungkook, he knew he would be with Yoongi. He would never admit that to anyone though, confided thoughts always seem to come out at the worst time and always get twisted in the heat of the moment. He looked over at Yoongi who was staring up at the clouds.  "I'm going to need help with tracking them down, all of them-"

     "I'll do what I can." Yoongi interrupted him. He didn't want to get his hopes up with anything involving Seokjin, he really loved spending time with him but he hated it at the same time. He looked over at Seokjin who had a sour look upon his face. "I'd like to help, but...I dunno, things are different."

     Seokjin didn't really know what to say to that. They were different, he couldn't deny it. "Maybe different doesn't have to be bad?"

     "We'll see." He reached over and turned the radio on. It was the cue that he didn't want to talk about it. Seokjin nodded and just continued to drive.

 

     They arrived at an abandoned building about an hour later. Seokjin exited the car, scanning the block for any sort of movement, it was desolate, not a soul in sight. The only movement was coming from a short-circuiting street lamp blinking its light on and off behind them, accompanied by a definitive buzz sound as it threatened to light up the small area it occupied in the diminishing daylight hours. He watched Yoongi climb out of the car and head around to the trunk, then he glared up at the building, studying it. It had to be about ten stories high, he figured by the length of it, there were at least ten rooms per floor. The neighborhood was pretty sketchy, so it was the perfect spot to do something illegal...or in this case, supernatural.

     "I call 6th floor, they always seem to like the 6th floor," Seokjin called over.

     "I say basement, the light would be less visible from the street." Yoongi reached into the trunk as it popped open. 

     "Hmm, true." Seokjin grabbed one backpack and Yoongi the other. "But this neighborhood isn't exactly the curious type."

     They walked up to the building and stopped, as soon as Yoongi pushed the door open, it hit the ground with a loud thump, shattering the glass window. Seokjin stared at him in disbelief, "Good job."

     Yoongi smirked. "I doubt he heard that." He stepped over the glass and inside.

     The lobby was a complete mess, it looked like a garbage dump had exploded. Graffiti covered every inch of wall - mostly vulgar words about male body parts. The floor was carpeted with papers, broken bottles, various clothing items, and an obscene amount of dirt and dog feces. Yoongi saw several rats scurry away as he stepped in further.

     Seokjin masked his nose with the sleeve of his shirt, the place stunk, a very strong urine smell hit his nose and he wanted to gag. "I go top, you go bottom?"

     Yoongi snickered, "Indeed." He sauntered off towards the stairs and Seokjin suddenly understood why he laughed. 

      _Dirty minded bastard._  Seokjin shook his head, smiling. He headed towards the opposite way, finding a set of stairs that lead up to the upper floors. The stairwell was eerily dark, just a small stream of light shined through some holes where the building was missing chunks of plaster and stone. A light wind was howling through the area like a spooky chorus of singing ghosts, Seokjin was happy he wasn't easily frightened. He glanced up at the small opening in between the flights of stairs, the upper floors were dark. He listened for any sort of sounds, but the wind blowing through made it impossible to hear anything.

     He climbed to the second floor and stopped, the door was missing so he could see all the way down to the other side. He carefully stepped in, glaring up at a giant hole in the middle of the ceiling that made the third floor visible. Exposed wires and crumbling cement hung down littering this floor's decayed carpeting. Chunks of the walls were missing and dark marks were staining them, it looked like remnants of a fire. There were no weird lights, sounds or odors from either floor, so he moved to the fourth floor.

      Yoongi followed a couple rats along the waterlogged floor to a door at the end of the corridor marked 'Boiler Room'. He peered through the small glass window, not noticing anything strange, until..a small light flickered in between two of the big boilers. He turned the handle and let the door swing open, it hit the wall before he could catch it, an intense thud echoed through the room.  _So much for the element of surprise._

"Who's there?" A soft-spoken voice called out. Yoongi ducked behind a machine and crouched down. He peeked out to see a thin, tall framed man walk by and over to the door, he peeked out. "River?"

      _So he's not alone._ Yoongi took out his phone and texted Seokjin, warning him that there was more than one person in the building. The man turned back around and Yoongi saw his face, he knew this guy.  _Sehun Oh._  He was the son of a member of the vampire council, and like himself, the black sheep of his family. Sehun was not a 'general', so was this River person he called out to, the child of Cato? Or were there more people lurking around? 

     He watched Sehun walk out of the room, so he stood back up straightening his body, almost clunking his head on a low lying pipe.

     "You're not good at hide and seek." Sehun's voice sounded from directly behind him, Yoongi turned quick.  _Damn vampire speed._

     "I wouldn't peg you for being one of Cato's peons" Yoongi criticized.

     "I wouldn't peg you for hiding in boiler rooms spying, but here we are," Sehun responded, smirking like a true smartass. "Where's Seokjin?"

     "Why would Seokjin be here?" Yoongi tried to play it off, no sense in both of them being discovered. "I'm sure he's got better things to do than lurk in empty buildings."

     "Don't patronize me." Sehun scoffed, "I know your habits."

     Yoongi stepped out from behind the machine, strolling towards where Sehun had come from earlier, "I just came to look around, thinking about buying the building-"

     Sehun grabbed his arm to stop him just as he reached the portal sitting in between the two huge boilers. "You can't be here." Sehun advised, seemingly concerned that Yoongi could be in danger.

     "A portal." Yoongi maneuvered out of his grasp, eyeing the silver glittery liquid moving about in a circular motion in front of him, it was like a big splat of petroleum jelly floating in mid-air. It made a weird 'woong-woong' sound and illuminated the tips of his fingers when he touched it. "Well, this doesn't fare well for the market price."

     "Out of respect for our covens, I'm warning you now that you should go." Sehun attempted to grab his arm again, but Yoongi swung around him and pinned him to the floor, holding him steady through his squirming.

     "What are you trying to do here?"

     "It's nothing that I wish to discuss with you." Sehun spat, wincing from the uncomfortable weight that Yoongi was putting on his spine.

 

     Seokjin reached the 7th floor, panting slightly from having run up so many flights of stairs. The door was ajar and from where he stood, he could see a human-shaped shadow cast on the carpet midway down. He quietly stepped through the doorway and inched up the corridor, careful not to make a sound. He could hear two people having a conversation inside the room, so he leaned against the wall and listened.

     "Seokjin and Yoongi will be the only problem -" River started, a cough interrupted him.

     "We have Seokjin's kryptonite, he won't be an issue." The second voice was hoarse, assured. "You just need to complete the tasks, let me worry about our opposers."

      _Jungkook?_  Were they talking about kidnapping Jungkook? He took out his phone and texted the younger. **Hey, you okay? Anything weird happening at the castle?**

"Don't be delusional, You can't get to the kid-" River was once again interrupted by the second man.

     "Oh, but can't we?"

       **I'm not at the castle, I'm with Tae in town. Why?** Seokjin looked down at the text. His heart sped up.

     "We know where he is, he's with that useless kid, Taehyung, right now."

      **GO HOME NOW, YOU ARE IN DANGER.** Seokjin sent back and pocketed his phone.  _Fuck._

      "Just awaiting word from Hugo."

      "Word?" River asked.

     Seokjin looked towards the stairwell, even if he left now, he still wouldn't make it to them in time to help Jungkook. He took his phone back out, **What do you mean?** Jungkook had sent back. Seokjin had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.  **They're gonna go after Taehyung, get back in your car and go home, please. Don't ask questions. Text me when you're safe.**

"Do you hear something?" The first voice asked. Seokjin quickly ducked inside the door on his other side. The guy stepped into the hallway and sniffed the air. "I smell someone."

      Seokjin chanced a glance, seeing the man was looking down the opposite way, he took advantage and made a bee-line for him, grabbing his arm and elbowing him in the nose, dropping him in a matter of seconds. Seokjin stepped over the man’s body after he fell backward into the room into a heap on the floor. He pulled a gun from his belt and aimed it at River’s face. River backed away while eyeing the open window from the corner of his eye. “Tell Hugo if he touches the kid, I’m going to rip out his heart and stuff it down his throat.”

     "Seokjin, let's be reasonable here." River held up his arms in a non-threatening manner, he was petrified.

     "You can send it, or I can..with your cold dead fingers." Seokjin took a step towards him and he backed up further.

     "It's too late, he has his orders."

     Seokjin grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him into the wall, pinning him there with his elbow, he aimed the gun at his temple, "Fucking do it."

     "I don't have the phone, he does." River glared down at the dead man Seokjin had dropped moments earlier. Seokjin let him go and bent down searching the dead man's pockets for the phone. River wasted no time, he slipped through the open window and started down the fire escape. Seokjin hurried to the window and looked out, just as Yoongi grabbed him and tossed him over the railing, he fell six stories to his death, landing on a pipe that stuck up out of the asphalt - straight through his chest.

      "Fucking human trash." Yoongi glanced up at Seokjin.

      Seokjin bent back down to the dead guy, he found the phone and took it out, he called the contact 'Hugo'. There was no answer.  _Shit!_  Yoongi peered through the window.

      "Problem?" Yoongi climbed in, scanning the room.

     "Someone is going after Jungkook and Tae." Seokjin threw the man's phone down and took out his own.

     "Tae?" Yoongi grabbed his phone and dialed Taehyung, no answer. "Pick up." He dialed again.

     "Kookie's not answering either. Shit." Seokjin was about to rage when his phone vibrated. Jungkook sent a picture of a hybrid laying on the ground, unconscious. "Nevermind."

     Yoongi grabbed Seokjin's phone and looked at the picture, a very sarcastic 'hmpf' escaped from his nose. "Jungkook isn't a weakling, you shouldn't worry so much."

     "Jesus Christ." Seokjin cracked his neck, relieved. He stared down at the dead guy. "We should go."

     Yoongi shook his head, "Weaknesses suck." He stepped over the dead guy and proceeded out into the hallway, out of sight.

    "Yeah, I get it. I'm mush now." Seokjin called out, hearing a 'Mmm' from Yoongi's echoing voice in the stairwell.

 

     Seokjin climbed into the car, Yoongi looked over at him. "These weren't generals."

     "Yeah, I know." Seokjin was about to start the engine when he heard a thumping coming from the trunk. He looked over at Yoongi, perplexed.

    "Oh yeah, we have a guest," Yoongi smirked.

     Seokjin popped the trunk and walked around to the back. Sehun was staring up at him, his hands were bound with some sort of glittery looking rope that was burning marks into his wrists, and his mouth was taped with some industrial strength duct tape. He peered up at Seokjin with furrowed brows, he was pissed off. Yoongi shut the trunk.

     "He knows some shit and he owes me a favor..so."

     "Vampire?" Seokjin figured the rope was laced with a poisonous herb.

      Yoongi nodded. "Mhm."

      Seokjin looked around, something about this was too easy. "This was a setup."

     Yoongi nodded again. "Three houses down, two humans standing in the window with binoculars."

     Seokjin didn't look over, he took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Buzz?" Seokjin asked rhetorically.

     Yoongi leaned against the car, "Yeah, my guess." Yoongi answered him anyway, picking some dirt from his nails. 'Buzz' was their code word for a bug, they figured Sehun was wearing a wire, but it was not one that could be readily seen, it was through a witch's spell, usually bound to a crystal or gem encased in a necklace. 

     "Guess we should give them what they desire." Seokjin smirked.    

     "Well, this means they know you're looking for them." Yoongi walked back to his door and slumped back into his seat. He glanced over at the house where the people were watching them. "I smell fear."

 

     Back at the castle, Yoongi pushed Sehun down on the cot in the lab. Taehyung glared down at the black-haired intruder, hands on his hips, casting a disapproving scowl at Yoongi. Yoongi ripped off the tape.

      "Ow, asshole." Sehun cursed him.

     "Oh, he knows you." Taehyung chortled.

     "They'll come for me." Sehun yelled, smacking his lips together to diminish some of the pain.

    Yoongi leaned into him, "I'm counting on it." He smirked and straightened back up, glancing at the glittering sapphire symbol he was wearing around his neck.

     "What am I supposed to do with him?" Taehyung leaned against the counter, arms crossed.

     "Well, his people were going to murder you earlier, maybe try one of those experiments Hoseok is so keen on."

     Taehyung looked at him appalled. "Your head is not right."

     Yoongi shrugged, "Just keep him here until I figure it out." Yoongi walked over to the door. "Call me if he gives you any problems."

     "He's already a problem." Taehyung grumbled, turning towards the door, but Yoongi was already gone. "Son of a bitch." He muttered under his breath and Sehun chuckled. Taehyung turned to him, annoyed.

     "You went to the ball with him." Sehun propped his feet up on the stool across from him, dragging it towards him. "I remember you."

     "Great." Taehyung rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning out the curmling cage. Since Hoseok, Jimin, and Harley had decided to backpack across Europe for the last three weeks, Taehyung had been moping around the lab, missing his partner in crime. He took to doing menial tasks like cleaning cages and rearranging the cabinets to pass the time. It was oddly strange that he was beginning to miss the smell of burning toad flesh.

 

     Seokjin had been summoned to Namjoon's office upon arriving home and was sitting in front of Namjoon's desk when Jungkook joined him. The younger was sweaty from his workout and still had his sweat towel resting on his shoulder.

     "You're okay?" Seokjin was relieved to see he didn't have any new scars adorning his handsome face.

     "Of course, it was one guy." Jungkook sat down, taking a bite of the apple in his hand, "Where's Namjoon?"

     "On his way." Seokjin leaned back. "He said Tempest wants to talk to you."

     Jungkook nearly choked on his apple, "What? Why?"

     "Dagma's inquiries made him realize he's been lacking in the parental duties."

     Jungkook snorted, "Yeah. Sure."

     Seokjin smirked, squeezing his hand. Namjoon walked in and closed the door. "Hey." Seokjin leaned up.

     "Well, good news and bad news." Namjoon sat, looking at Jungkook. "I'm sure Seokjin filled you in about Tempest?"

     Jungkook nodded. "Why now?"

     "It's a mystery to me too." Namjoon glared at Seokjin, changing the subject. "They know you're hunting them."

     "I know." Seokjin answered, "He's wearing a linked gem."

     Jungkook made a mental note to look up what a linked gem was later on, "So this became more dangerous."

     "I'm not convinced Sehun is in cahoots with the generals, I think he has a whole 'nother agenda..." Namjoon surmised.

     "I'm sure the vampires are just as interested in the location of Cato's spawn.." Seokjin realized, "What better way to gather information than to enter the lair of your mortal enemy."

     Namjoon leaned back and exhaled. "I believe whatever treasure Cato buried in the forest in China is most likely a weapon."

     "What makes you think that?"

     "Two of the generals have been spotted in the Tianzi Mountains with their packs." Namjoon took out a folder and threw it to Seokjin. "Abram received these pictures from some of our scouts two days ago."

     Seokjin opened the folder and looked at the first picture. Jungkook leaned over, "Jesus, they're big." 

     "Intel said they seemed to be searching for something." Namjoon frowned, "One of the scouts disappeared earlier today, so I am pretty sure they know that we know they're there."

     "Just another challenge." Seokjin closed the folder and set it on the desk.

      "I am glad you find this amusing." Namjoon stood, "But it puts us more in danger."

     "I thrive off danger," Seokjin smirked to himself, glancing at Namjoon, noticing his unease. "Don't worry, I won't put anyone's life at risk."

     "You need to be prepared for anything," Namjoon advised.

     "I'm not an amateur, I've done this before." Seokjin stood, "Like old times."

     Jungkook realized by old times, Seokjin meant before he came to the castle, when he and Yoongi used to go on their little 'adventures'.  _Always Yoongi._

     "Just be careful, you have others to worry about now." Namjoon motioned with his eyes at Jungkook who was immersed in his own thoughts, not paying them any attention as he stared at the rug.

     "I know." Seokjin put his hands on the younger's shoulders, making him jump. He glared up at Seokjin.

     "Huh?" Jungkook cleared his throat, "Sorry, I-"

     "You just volunteered to accompany me on a jog." Seokjin smiled, teasing him. He grabbed Jungkook's arm and pulled him up and they left the room.

 

     Hoseok was having the time of his life, he couldn’t remember having this much fun in a very long time. They were on the last day of their three-week backpacking adventure, Jimin refused to call it a vacation because it wasn't really a relaxing time. Tonight, they were enjoying the sites of London, staying in a proper hotel instead of tents, and laying their worn bodies down on actual fluffy pillows on top of warm beds instead of in sleeping bags on the lumpy ground. They were overjoyed that they could take hot showers instead of bathing in chilly lakes and having to dry off with the same crusty towels they used the whole time. Jimin was not a fan of camping, but it made Harley happy.

      Harley had taken so many pictures and sent them to Taehyung and Jungkook, they were both afraid to open their phones when they vibrated. Hoseok complained the couple’s PDAs were quite gag-worthy. He knew they all thought the three of them might be involved in some sort of polyamorous triangle, but Hoseok was quite happy just being the third wheel. Though, his friendship with Jimin blossomed into best friend territory, which was odd to him because as a ghost, Jimin irked him so much he nearly banished him to the otherworld no less than fifty times. Harley liked to tease them that their bromance was teetering on crossing the line into accidental kiss territory. The thought of kissing Jimin made Hoseok...oddly turned on, but he called her crazy nonetheless. He was not about to succumb to being the third 'complicated' couple in the house or deal with any of the drama that entailed. Plus, he was sure Harley would kick his ass.

     "You know this hotel has room service, we can just order in," Jimin suggested and they both looked at him like he sprouted a second head. "What?"

     "This is our last day here and you want to stay in?" Hoseok gasped.

     "Yeah, why not? I'm tired."

     "Boo." Harley slumped down on the bed. "I heard they have a really nice bistro right down the road.

     "Then you two go, I'm going to take a bath and order room service and forget the giant blister on my god-damned foot." Jimin pouted, grabbing the menu off the dresser and walking over to the phone.

     "But Jiminnie." Harley put on her best puppy dog face, batting her eyelashes at him.

     "OH god, not again." Hoseok rolled his eyes. Jimin threw a pillow at him.

      "Not even that cute little pout is going to get me out of this room." Jimin was serious.

 

     Twenty minutes later, the three of them were seated at a table in a quaint little bistro, menus in hand.  Jimin was wearing a rather sour expression and Hoseok was grinning at his menu, enjoying Jimin's suffering. 

     "See anything you like?" Harley asked them.

     Hoseok's phone rang and he set down his menu to answer it. "Namjoon, what's up?"

     Harley and Jimin glanced up, wondering why their leader was calling so late.

     "When does your plane arrive tomorrow?" Namjoon's voice had a formal tone to it, Hoseok understood he was calling as a leader, not as a friend.

      "Noon, I think. Why?"

      "Things have become complicated." Namjoon sighed, "I'll send a car to get you, call me when the plane touches down."

     Hoseok sighed as he set his phone down on the table. "Always something."

     "What now?" Jimin looked at him over his menu.

     "I'm assuming it's either about Tempest or the generals.."

     "I thought this thing with my father would be over once he died, but I guess he was very serious about his quest." Harley set her menu down, "I just wish they would all wake up and stop with this shit."

     "Yeah, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon." Hoseok felt a headache coming on.

     "You don't think Seokjin's father is one of the generals, do you?" Jimin looked up, wide-eyed.

     "Yoosun?" Hoseok asked, "I didn't even think about that, that dude has it out for Seokjin, so I wouldn't put it past him."

      "I'm sure if he is behind it, Seokjin won't let him walk away this time." Harley remarked.

     "Neither will Yoongi." Jimin added.

 

 


	52. BONUS 2: Angst and Love

   

     Taehyung was near ready to strangle Sehun by dinner time, the dude would not shut up. If he wasn't making noises with his mouth, he was humming or asking him questions about his relationship with Yoongi. Taehyung did not want to talk about that, especially with someone he didn't even know. He kept texting Yoongi to come down here and muzzle him, but Yoongi was purposely ignoring his texts.

     "He's always been a dick." Sehun laughed after Taehyung put his phone down for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes.

     "Can you just shut up for like five minutes?" Taehyung snapped. "Just one moment of peace, please."

     "I talk when I'm hungry." Sehun straightened up, he so full of pent up energy he was ready to burst.

     "If I get you a granola bar, will you shut the fuck up?" Taehyung huffed, he was so done with this guy.

     "How about you bring me one of those curmlings?"

     "What? No." Taehyung was horrified.

     "What part of vampire do you not understand?"

    "I'll get you a blood bag then."

     "Are you serious? Yoongi feeds from a blood bag?"

    "I thought you all did?"

     Sehun scoffed, "Don't insult me like that. I didn't think Yoongi had turned into such a pus-"

     "I'm not here to impress you," Yoongi spoke up from the doorway, making Taehyung jump. "Hunting is time-consuming."

     Taehyung turned to Yoongi, his expression turned angry "Can you get this asshole out of here now, he's driving me crazy."

     "I need him to stay here for now," Yoongi said flatly and stepped back out of the room.

      "Yoongi-" Taehyung chased after him, seizing his arm in the hallway to stop him.

     "Why is it so important he stay in the lab, we have rooms for this shit." Taehyung asked, "Are you trying to punish me for kicking you out the other night?"

     "I'm not even going to answer that." Yoongi continued to walk. "Just keep him in there."

     "No, fuck you! He's not my problem." Taehyung had enough, he sprinted up the stairs past Yoongi, wanting to be anywhere other than in the lab.  Yoongi caught up to him in the kitchen, where Taehyung fetched a bottle of water from the fridge.

     "He's wearing a linked gem, it's important he be around people-"

     "Who bugged him?" Taehyung turned to him interrupting. He uncapped his water, staring incredulously into Yoongi's eyes.

     "Not sure." Yoongi leaned against the counter, "Amelia or one of Cato's minions."

     "Why would Amelia be interested in what you're doing?" Taehyung took a sip of his water.

     "Cato promised my dad a property," Yoongi thought back to how excited his father was knowing that Seokjin had inherited all of Cato's assets, thinking he had lost it after Cato died. "I think it has something to do with what the vampires are planning." 

     "What property?" Taehyung wasn't going to let him drop it.  

      Yoongi stared at him, surprised that Taehyung continued to ask questions, especially since the younger was so pissed at him. "My dad wanted to buy a property from Seokjin after Cato died, so I got curious."

    "And?" Taehyung asked.

     "And... I didn't think anything about it at first, why he'd be interested in an old worn down factory on the pier, but after talking to Abram, I found out the place used to be for manufacturing."

     "Drugs?"

     "No. Well, kind of. They used to manufacture a synthesized compound to aid werewolf transformations. They tested them on werewolf children, then sold them off to the highest bidders for their sick games."

     Taehyung's baffled, wide-eyed expression told Yoongi that Taehyung was unaware of the black market deals. Taehyung was intelligent but very naive to the shady side of the supernatural world he was a part of.  At one point in time, werewolf children were very sought after, over-bred mothers would be chained in dungeons, popping out offspring to be sold in auctions, especially to the vampire elite. Much like with his own father's maze game, they were used in savage sporting events, pitted against each other in fights to the death. With the drug, they could partially go through the Lycan transformation before hitting puberty, aggressive pre-pubescent pups were easier to handle than adults and much more of an entertainment factor if they weren't in human form. The drug was also used to keep werewolf women in a constant Lycan state, as breeding stock they were able to produce multiple offspring that could be delivered at six months gestation, much like a puppy mill. Not to mention, the onyx's need for such places, no one had understood why Cato needed werewolf children until the whole draining secret came out. Yoongi was sickened about all the stuff he had uncovered during his quest for the truth. He filled Taehyung in on everything that he knew. 

     "I think I'm going to throw up." Taehyung slumped down into a chair and rested his heads in his hands. 

     "Old traditions would have died with me in charge, Amelia knew that and since my father was so adamant about me taking over, she knew I'd kill him and be ostracized, Jihoon would settle in as the head and all their little shady deals could continue."

     "So why are they bugging Sehun? What are they hoping to find out?"

     "If the generals come back, the vampires can kiss their business goodbye." Yoongi figured, "Plus, the onyx want to kill off the werewolves by draining all of their power, a little hard to continue your business plan if you're merchandise is gone."

     "My god-"

     "It's like Yoosun said, Cato wasn't patient, he didn't believe in growing up pups." Yoongi remembered, "His need to drain was too powerful."

     "Sehun is awful brave coming into the lion's den alone." Taehyung remarked. The lion's den, in this case, being where Seokjin and Namjoon could bring down their wrath upon a foolish emissary.

     "I don't think he knows the crystal he's wearing is linked, he tried to warn me to stay away from the portal." Yoongi sat up on the counter. 

     "So you trust this guy?"

     "I don't trust anyone outside this pack." Yoongi confided, "But, I'm going to assume for the time being, he's being used."

     "I didn't think the vampires were so..heinous." Taehyung was still appalled at all the information he found out.

     "They're a small bunch, but they're set in upholding sick traditions."

      "Your father knew you were against all this, why was he pushing for you to be in charge then?"

     "My father was a bit delusional that I would be like him..he thought eventually, I would fall in line." Yoongi swallowed hard, smirking as he thought about his mother. "He married the wrong woman, she was never one to fit in."

     "I wish I could have met her." A warm smile took over Taehyung's face and Yoongi found himself overcome with some new emotion. 

     "She would have loved you." Yoongi wore a drunk grin, he quickly shook his head. _Back to reality._ He cleared his throat. "I should go talk to Namjoon about all this." 

 

      Somehow they ended up in Taehyung's room, violently panting after a vigorous burst of lustful sex. But this time, Taehyung was surprised when Yoongi pulled him into a cuddle afterward. He half wanted to ask Yoongi if he felt alright, but he thought for sure the older would think he was making fun of him and probably kick him out of bed...even though it was his bed. 

     "Problem?" Yoongi asked, he always seem to know when there was something on his mind.

     "No." Taehyung sighed.

     "Do you want to kick me out again?"

     Taehyung sat up.

     "You do?" Yoongi sat up, looking straight into his soul.

     "No..I was just thinking." Taehyung reached over to grab his shirt off the nightstand and then slipped it on.

    "Don't do that." Yoongi threw the blankets aside and stood up, reaching down and grabbing up his boxers. "Thinking is unhealthy."

     Taehyung watched as Yoongi slid the boxers on and then began a search for his shirt, not sure if he should say anything or just let it go. This was usually the part of their 'get-together' that Yoongi would slip on his clothes and then slip out the door. It was stupid of him to think this was any different, even though something about this time seemed deeper. He wrestled around with the thoughts in his head for several minutes, snapping out of his little trance when Yoongi kissed him on the lips and leaned back up to stare down at him, now fully dressed. "You leaving?"

     Yoongi nodded, he could barely hold the stare for 3 seconds before he fixed his gaze upon the floor, Taehyung was confused, it was like the older was afraid to look him in the eyes. "Like I said, don't think too hard about it." Yoongi scooped his boots up from by the door and left Taehyung alone in the room with his thoughts.

 

     Taehyung handed Seokjin a wrench and sat down next to the front wheel of Seokjin's car, the elder was underneath changing the oil and only his lower torso and legs were visible, it reminded Taehyung of a scene from a b-rated zombie movie. He slipped into a reverie on how different his life would be if Hoseok hadn't taught him to be civilized with his hunger and how scenes like this would be commonplace if he fed on humans. He shook away his stray thoughts and concentrated on the reason he was down here... Yoongi.  "I'm sure we had a moment."

     "Moment?" Seokjin's words were a bit muffled.

     "Yeah, it was different this time." Taehyung picked up a rock.

      Seokjin bumped his head sliding out from underneath the chassis. "Ow, shit." He rubbed the throbbing spot on his forehead. "Different how?"

     "You know, sometimes I think you care more than you should about my sex life with Yoongi." Taehyung was still a bit bitter about the whole Cato thing, he was not completely convinced that Seokjin didn't want it just as bad as the tyrant did.

     "Trust me, no one wants this to happen more than I do." Seokjin grabbed the oil filter from the box on the ground. "He's been miserable."

     "Yeah, I'm sure." Taehyung scoffed, "How stupid of me, of course, he probably feels bad because once again it's not you." Taehyung stood, throwing the rock.

     "Tae-"

     "It sucks being in love with the guy." Taehyung shook his head, trudging backward away from the car. "I have a garden to weed."    

       _Yeah, I know._ Seokjin watched as Taehyung turned and walked off. Someone had to give Yoongi a reason to smile again. Seokjin wanted him to be happy and Taehyung was the only one that could accomplish such a feat now.

     "Taehyung okay?" Namjoon joined him.

     "Yeah." Seokjin slid back under the car, Namjoon leaned against his own car that was parked next to Seokjin's. 

     "Jungkook is going tonight...to see Tempest-"

     "What?" Seokjin slid back out from the car, once again whacking his head, "Tonight?"

     "Yeah, are you two okay?" 

     "Yeah, why?" He rubbed the sore spot on his cranium. "Did he say otherwise?"

     "He requested to go without you-"

     "He doesn't want me to go?"

     "You should talk to him, maybe something is up." Namjoon suggested, then turned to open his car door, "I'll be back soon."

     Seokjin nodded. He needed to finish with the car so he could track down Jungkook. He didn't think the younger was upset with him, so all he really needed was a reason as to why he didn't want him to go.

  

     Jungkook was nervously pacing his bedroom floor when Seokjin found him. He had his eyes closed and was mouthing something about reasons and secrets. Seokjin reached his hand out and tapped Jungkook on the shoulder.

     "Not now," Jungkook muttered, going the opposite way.

     "Are you mad at me?"

     "I just need to calm down." Jungkook exhaled several times.

     "Hey," Seokjin grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him. "Kookie!"

     "I want you to come, okay, I'm not mad, it's just that since you're related to Skotadi, it might make things difficult." Jungkook already knew why Seokjin had come to find him, he figured Namjoon had told him since Namjoon was so surprised about his decision.

     "So we're good?" Seokjin let go of him.

     Jungkook planted a kiss on Seokjin's mouth, then leaned his head against the elder's. "We're great."

     "Nervous?" Seokjin wrapped his arms around Jungkook and pulled him into a hug.

     "Understatement of the century." Jungkook groaned.

     "What are you worried about?" Seokjin pulled back, looking into his eyes.

     "What the fuck do I say to him?" Jungkook fell backward onto the bed, glaring up a fly that was crawling around on his ceiling.

     "How about, where you been all my life, ya deadbeat." Seokjin kidded.

     Jungkook snorted, "I'm sure that's grounds for a smiting." 

     Seokjin sat next to him. "Relax, I'm sure he has an agenda and knowing the gods like I do, will do all the talking."

     Jungkook smirked, Seokjin was making him feel better, he wasn't completely sure why he was feeling so antsy, it's not like the ~~man~~ was going to invite himself into his life and claim the "Dad of the Year" title all of a sudden. He took in a deep breath and looked over at Seokjin. "Maybe I should have you come."

     "Whatever you feel comfortable with," Seokjin assured him.

     

     This was the first time Jungkook had ever been to the council chambers, it was just an enormous pristine white room, clad with pillars that looked like they were from a play about a Greek tragedy, heavy with the flower and leaf patterns typical of the Corinthian style. Both sides of the room housed six tall windows that scaled floor to ceiling, covered with some sort of sheer, billowy white material - the way it glittered when the sunlight hit it was so mesmerizing, Jungkook knew it couldn't be man-made and was probably the creation by one of the gods themselves. The only objects in the room were a pure white marble pedestal at the far end and five chairs floating in mid-air, spread out in a half moon shape behind it. The whole room was quite peculiar and boringly plain, not one thing stood out. Not one thing screamed 'this is the gateway between the great gods and man'. He expected some grand palace straight out of a movie, with multiple hues of royal purple embellishing garish furniture, exquisite rugs adorning the floors and it's own orchestra playing some ethereal theme music in the background.

     Jungkook's curiosity got the better of him, he leaned into Seokjin's ear as Namjoon shut the doors behind them, "Why only five chairs?" 

     "The number of chairs appear for the number of people that need them, now shh." Seokjin placed his hand on the back of the younger's neck and pulled him to stop, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

      Namjoon came to stand on the other side of him, sandwiching Jungkook in the middle, it eased his tensions a bit. His lip was beginning to feel sore from the amount of chewing he had been doing on it.

     "We wish to speak to Dagma and Tempest." Namjoon spoke into the air as if an invisible Maitre D' would appear and guide them to their seats.

     The room gave a rumble that shook the floor, Jungkook stumbled a touch, gripping on to Seokjin's shoulder to steady himself. An archway began to emerge behind the pedestal, carving itself into the stone wall like it was being crafted for the first time. Jungkook stared in awe as the middle dissolved into blackness before a flash of light engulfed the room then fizzled out with a tiny 'pop'. Dagma gracefully stepped out, dressed in her empyrean garments, decked out in silver shimmering jewelry encrusted with strange colored jewels. _They really do wear flowing gowns_. Jungkook cracked a smile and Seokjin nudged him in the ribs to remind him to keep his composure. Following Dagma was a concentrated ball of light, like a living light spike gliding through the air. It took its place next to her, floating in place for several seconds. Jungkook blinked at the brightness, wondering how the hell he was supposed to have a conversation with this thing. Strands of light began to melt down into a puddle onto the floor, reforming into a gelatinous blob. Jungkook's jaw dropped watching as it transformed into a curly, chestnut brown haired, almost cherubic man dressed in a pinstriped white and gray suit. Jungkook was surprised, Tempest looked the complete opposite than he had pictured in his head.

     "Namjoon, I am glad you came." Dagma placed her hands on both sides of his arms and squeezed as she kissed his cheeks. He placed a kiss on the back of her hand, like a gentleman courting a lady back in the olden days. It was a deep sign of respect to a goddess, and formal greetings were Namjoon's forte.

     "Mother, nice to see you." Namjoon resumed his upright stature at Jungkook's side.

     "You look well, Seokjin." She averted her gaze to the surprised hybrid who did not expect to be addressed. He just merely bowed his head.

     "Jungkook." Tempest looked him up and down, a scowl pursed his lips and Jungkook felt hot in the face, he was being judged and by the expression on his face, Tempest did not approve. "You resemble your birth-giver."

     "My-my birth gi-"

     "Your mother," Seokjin whispered without turning his head. "In other words, he's disrespecting her."

     Tempest turned his attention to Seokjin. "Arrogance exudes from you, nothing less than I would expect from the great-grandson of Skotadi."

     Seokjin clenched his jaw and Jungkook knew right away that the elder did not like him.

     "We did not come here to exchange insults, we should discuss the reason behind this visit," Dagma warned.

     "I merely wanted to see the atrocity that I created, nothing more." Tempest shook his head, "He did not disappoint."

     Jungkook did not know if that was a compliment or an insult, but by distaste on Seokjin's face, it was the latter. "What does that mean?"

    "It means he's a pompous-"

     "Seokjin." Namjoon interrupted, Seokjin clamped his mouth shut, internally cursing.

     Tempest stood in front of Seokjin, "Protective. Admirable trait, but useless in this case."

     Seokjin's eyes flashed black and Tempest smiled. "You ignore him for 19 years and the first thing you say to him is an insult?"

     "I did not want this child, let's be clear on that." Tempest raised his voice and the room rumbled. "It's an insult to my existence that he is involved with the kin of Skotadi."

     "I thought the reason you were sought out was to balance out the legend?" Namjoon spoke up, trying to diffuse the tempers a bit.

     "You thought wrong. Misae has deceived you all." He scoffed, "That woman was a plague in the flesh."

     "So then why did you have to be the one to-" Jungkook started to ask.

     "First off, you were an experiment," Tempest interrupted Jungkook, almost offended that the younger was daring to address him. "You're alive because she thought she could play god. Nothing more."

     "Why did you bring him here?" Seokjin stepped forward.

     "Your ego will be your downfall Seokjin, you've already managed to muck up once already with your quest for power." He grabbed Seokjin's wrist and squeezed, a burst of electricity surged through his arm fiercely cooking his skin from the inside out. It was nearly too much to bear, but Seokjin didn't let himself react to the pain. "My only solace is that this one gets to bring you down."

     "Quiet down Tempest, your blubbering is giving me a headache." A shrill voice sounded behind them and they all looked over to see a sixth chair appear and a near clone of Seokjin walk through the doorway. Jungkook gasped. Seokjin yanked his hand from Tempest's grasp as Skotadi approached them.

     Namjoon was taken aback as well, he didn't know that Skotadi and Seokjin would be so, "Uncanny." He finished aloud.

     "It is good to finally meet the person I have heard so much about." Skotadi glared at Seokjin, fascinated. "As handsome as I am to boot."

     "What the hell?" Seokjin backed up as if he had seen a ghost. He looked too human to be the god of the onyx. It was unnerving, like he was looking into a mirror. Cato's appearance was a stark contrast in comparison. 

     "You certainly know how to make an entrance." Tempest rolled his eyes. "I assume we're both in agreement that this is a walking catastrophe?" He looked at Seokjin and then to Jungkook before returning his eyes to Skotadi.

     A hint of a smile graced Skotadi's face as he licked his lips. "I think it's splendid. Perhaps everyone is taking the prophecies a little too serious."

     Jungkook was lost, what the hell were they on about? Skotadi was supposed to be the evil one, but he seemed to like him more than Tempest, who was just the most conceited trash he'd ever laid his eyes upon. "I'm confused."

     "You expected me to be an unrefined hairy beast with the manners of a.." He thought for a moment, "Of this one here?" He glanced at Tempest.

      Jungkook wouldn't have put it that way, but he wasn't far off. "Yeah."

      "Assumptions are prevalent here-"

      "Cut the bullshit Skotadi, who are you trying to convince? We all know your agenda." Tempest glared at him.

     "This is what we refer to as a train wreck, no?" Skotadi grabbed Seokjin's chin and turned his head, examining every inch of his face. "It seems confusing, but you have to ignore this imbecile." He let go and turned to Tempest, "He has been riding my ass for hundreds of years."

     "I did not expect you to be here, Skotadi." Dagma broke in, perturbed.

     "You usually aren't in the loop in these matters, Dagma." Skotadi shook his head. "I simply wanted to see this fine specimen that has the honor of sharing my bloodline."

     "As per usual, he does what he wishes, no regard for anyone else." Tempest scoffed, scoffing seemed to be his trademark.

     "And yet, you're the only one being rude." Skotadi's excitement and contempt were contradicting his facial features.

     "I heard he was inquiring about me." Tempest acted as if he swallowed something foul, the expressions made Jungkook uneasy. Seokjin sensed the younger wanted to leave, he couldn't blame him.

     "The games of the gods never change." Seokjin spat, "Think what you want Tempest, you should be honored to have such a child."

     Tempest dared to gasp. This made Seokjin furious.

     "You should bow to him, he is far greater than you could ever hope to be." Seokjin sneered. Tempest dropped him to his knees in a flash, as bolts shot from his fingertips and connected with the elder's body, Seokjin pronounced piercing cry of pain made Jungkook cover his ears, the sound bore a hole straight into his heart.

     "Cease with the theatrics," Dagma ordered and Tempest's loud annoyed breath filled the room as he withdrew his hand. Seokjin went down on all fours, relieved to be free, most of his energy was drained. Jungkook bent down to him, helping him up.

     "He has your temper." Tempest uttered and Skotadi turned to him.

     "Shall we talk about tempers after this little episode?" Skotadi egged him on, overjoyed that his great-grandson shared his tenacity.

     "Stop inquiring about me." Tempest pulled Jungkook away from Seokjin, and pushed him towards the exit, "You will find nothing that you will be happy to know."

     Jungkook felt sick to his stomach, his father's touch made his stomach churn. All he could do was stare at him with contempt, Tempest stared back, straight into his soul, mentally picking him apart. Jungkook couldn't respond, he just stared. 

     "I think he deserves to know." Seokjin spat.

     "All you'll ever be is a huge regret, a failed attempt from a witches delusions." Tempest turned back into the bright spark and floated back through the doorway, a chair disappeared the moment he did.

      This entity meant nothing to Jungkook, but the words still tore at his heart. He felt worthless, like a sad joke. He shuffled over to one of the chairs, it lowered to the floor as he approached and he sunk down on to the soft cushion, staring at the floor. 

      Seokjin looked at Dagma, his eyes formed into slits, "No inkling of what he was going to do tonight?"

     "The affairs of gods aren't always black and white." She proclaimed. Seokjin's sneer would be alarming to a normal person, but Dagma was unfazed, she could not help the intentions that Tempest had, nor would she normally bother herself with it. But, Seokjin and Jungkook were special, they were the kind of characters people would write books about, fan-fictions even, so she had to involve herself in the matter. She turned to Namjoon, "I'll be in touch."

      "Okay." Namjoon uttered, he was at a loss for words. He just nodded as she walked over to the doorway and disappeared into the blackness. The chair next to Jungkook faded away and the younger glared at the now vacant spot.

      "I suggest Cato's manor should be your starting point, Hoseok can guide you through uncovering the secrets." Skotadi was being helpful and Seokjin had to wonder why. He still could not get over how much he looked like him, all except for Skotadi's blonde hair that was parted the opposite way of his own. "I'm expecting great things from you."

      _He says with a sinister smirk_. Seokjin knew now more than ever he had to hunt down the generals, Skotadi was not someone he wished to impress. Skotadi stood there glaring down at Seokjin with an odd sense of pride, thinking of him as some sort of protégé. Seokjin had to put an end to any thoughts that he would have anything to do with the genocide of an entire species.

     

       The leaves blew around the ground in a swirly pattern, Seokjin was distracted by how pretty they looked with the setting sun casting an orange glow upon them as he stood in the browning grass. He took in a deep breath, the chilly end of September air felt good on his skin, his body temperature had been elevated since Tempest zapped him. He aimed his bow towards the target, eyeing the bullseye situated no less than 100 meters away. He shot and missed the target completely, hitting the tree directly behind it.

     Yoongi snickered.

      "I've impressed the anti-theist diety." Seokjin had relayed to Yoongi the whole ordeal moments earlier. Yoongi simply smiled.

     "So there are two of you?" Yoongi had an enthusiastic undertone that Seokjin picked up on right away.

     Seokjin frowned, "Like that would happen." He was referring to the sudden lustful gaze that was apparent behind the vampire's deep brown eyes.

     "I'm joking." Yoongi's tongue in cheek humor earned him an arm punch and he pouted. "So how's the bunny taking it all?"

     "Jungkook is..well, trying to be brave. He lets things get to him, but you know how he is, he'll keep it to himself and then blow up later."

     "So why are you here with me then? Shouldn't you be-"

     "No. He wanted to be alone." Seokjin grabbed another arrow and lined up his sites.

     "Is that why you're so distracted?" Yoongi watched as Seokjin nailed the outskirt of the lines, producing a tiny hole in the white area.

     "Skotadi seemed proud, like he thinks I'm going to start a revolution and slaughter the werewolves and be his hero-"

     "Well, good news, if you do, at least the werewolf god can procreate and make more."

     "Comforting." Seokjin handed the bow to Yoongi and thumped down on the grass, leaning his head back and gazing up at the stars peeking through the clouds.

     "Cheer up." Yoongi took aim and nailed a bullseye first shot, a conceited little smile graced his mouth. He set the bow back in the case and walked over to grab the arrows.

     "Shouldn't you relieve Taehyung from guard duty?" Seokjin looked over as he was headed back.

     "I guess I should feed our guest." Yoongi set the arrows in the quiver and sat down next to Seokjin. "Hoseok will be back tonight."

     "Hey, did something happen with you and Taehyung?" Seokjin chanced asking, hoping Yoongi wouldn't take it the wrong way.

     "No, why?"

     "He felt like the last time the two of you...uh, he said it felt different. Deeper."

     "No. Nothing changed." Yoongi raised his eyebrow at Seokjin's sudden curiosity. "Why?"

     Seokjin didn't look at him, shrugging it off. _Why did he care?_ "He seemed troubled."

     "Don't worry, I'm not going to give him any false hope." Yoongi stood, "I'll see you later."

     "Yup." Seokjin nodded and stared back up at the sky. He sighed. What was he going to do about Skotadi? He did want to know what secrets were hidden inside the walls of that estate, specifically Misae's old room in the wine cellar and the attic, where the weird thing that had flown at Harley dwelled, but...he still had twenty generals and their packs to hunt down..and he still had to contend with why Sehun was wearing a bug, who was behind it and what problems were going to arise from that. It was too much for his head to wrap around at the moment. He stood up and brushed off his pants, he decided a heart to heart with Jungkook would make things more clear.

          

    

    

     


	53. BONUS 3: Bye Bye House

   

 

      Bright and early the next morning, Namjoon stepped out of the castle doors as a van pulled up and came to a stop. Harley slid the door open, peeking her head out, she was the first to exit the vehicle, stretching her legs and blessing the gods above for the familiar ground that was sprawled out below her feet.

     "Home at last!" She threw her arms up in the air and spun in a circle, cut short as she almost ran into Namjoon who'd stopped right in front of her. "Joonie!"  She threw her arms around him and he was taken by surprise.

     "Hey-" Namjoon exclaimed and Harley giggled as she let go. He turned to Hoseok as he climbed out. "Welcome back."

     "Someone needs to wake Jimin, he's knocked out." Hoseok cracked his neck. "Did they burn the lab down while I was gone?"

     "Only partially." Taehyung appeared in the doorway and smiled. He practically galloped over to the van, gliding straight through the sliding door and pushed Jimin hard in the side with his hand. "Wake up!"

     Jimin jolted awake, confused as to what just happened... "Tae?" A smile overtook his face and they hugged, "Dude, I missed you."

     Harley and Hoseok exchanged smiling glances as they retrieved their bags from the back.

     "Next time you should come," Hoseok told him, closing the doors.

     

     Dinner time was noisy, between the trio telling their trip stories and the discussions about Tempest and the generals, it was a buzzing of non-stop conversation...     then there was Sehun, who was sitting next to Jungkook at the far end of the table, sucking a rabbit dry. Everyone stopped to stare once they heard the disturbing slurping noises.

     "That's disgusting." Hoseok grimaced.

      "Says the brain sucking zombie." Sehun pushed the now deceased bunny away from him and wiped the trickle of blood from his mouth.

     "Why is he here again?" Hoseok inquired, already tired of him.

     "New drinking buddy," Yoongi smirked, turning to glance at Seokjin, who's eyebrows raised a good inch questioning what he meant by _new_.

     "Did you lose your old drinking partner?" Seokjin asked, Yoongi just winked at him.

     Jungkook gave Yoongi a strange look but quickly shook it off. He was sure that was 'code' for 'give a good reason as to why they were keeping Sehun here for so long'. Either way, it meant less time that Seokjin would spend with Yoongi.

     "You don't oppose, right?" Yoongi challenged Sehun who just shrugged.

     "I don't oppose." Jungkook toasted Yoongi with his glass of cola and Yoongi smirked.

     Taehyung sulked, but he didn't want anyone to see he was unhappy, especially Yoongi, so he focused his attention to Jimin and cracked some jokes putting Yoongi's new friend status out of his mind.

 

     The weather was perfect for picking the last of Taehyung's summer plants, plus he needed the cool air, it became stuffy inside at dinner, especially with how Yoongi was acting. Jimin pulled a baseball-sized spider from the bushel of plants that Taehyung had been working in and held it up to get a better look at it, Taehyung shuddered, backing away with a grossed-out look on his face. "He won't eat you Tae, will you little guy?"

     "Just put it in the woods, I'm pretty sure there is a small colony in there." Taehyung grimaced, watching Jimin walk over to the edge of the forest and bend down to set it free. "Why do they like my sagewort so much?"

     "You should be happy, they're keeping the bad bugs away."

     "I don't think a ginormous sized spider is good for anyone...Ugh." He shuddered again and Jimin laughed.

     Jimin reached down and coaxed another spider onto his palm, glancing over at Taehyung who was staring down at the plant. "So, Yoongi?"

     Taehyung's eyes shot to Jimin. "What about him?"

     "Don't act like I don't know you well enough to know you were upset that he's going to be hanging out with that Sehun guy tonight."

     "It's nothing." Taehyung went back to staring at the plant, sighing.

     "I don't like that he's using you." Jimin set another spider into the woods.

     "He's not using-" Taehyung let out a big 'Ha' sound, "Yeah right, who am I kidding?"

     "He's toxic, you need to cut him loose," Jimin lectured him. "Stop giving it out."

     "You're not helping." Taehyung was reaching the point of annoyed. He knew all this, he knew he shouldn't let Yoongi always get his way and get nothing in return. The heart wants what it wants, he couldn't help it. He was in love with him, he didn't want to be. He wished he could just walk away, but it wasn't as easy as Jimin made it sound, even after Seokjin slept with him, he couldn't just let Yoongi go.

     "I'm sorry, but it bothers me and it's worse that it doesn't seem to bother you-"

     "It does bother me, but what do you want me to do?" Taehyung's voice shook with emotion.

     "Tell him no." Jimin grabbed up another spider.

     "Yeah, you're right, It's just that easy." Taehyung rolled his eyes, "Why didn't I think of that?"

     Jimin grimaced, "Well sorry for caring." He passed the spider from one hand to another, a sudden smile appeared like he just had the idea of a century. "I'm gonna go see how Harley feels about spiders." His face lit up at the prospect of scaring her.

     "You're gonna get punched," Taehyung warned.

     "Think about what I said." Jimin gave him a reassuring smile and then turned on his heal.

     Taehyung's eyes followed Jimin as he scampered back up towards the house. Jimin was right. Maybe it was time to go hunt down Yoongi and tell him he wasn't going to be his sex toy anymore, either he wanted something serious between them or nothing at all. The time for being used was coming to an end. Kaput. Done.

     

     It was all good in theory, for when Taehyung marched straight into the house determined to tell him off, he lost his nerve when he spotted Yoongi throwing a jacket to Sehun and them both heading out of the front door to go drinking. Jungkook walked down the stairs and stopped midway when he saw Taehyung staring after them.

     "That guy needs an ass-kicking," Jungkook remarked, then continued down to join him. "You okay?"

     "Yeah, I'm amazing." Taehyung started walking towards the kitchen and Jungkook followed behind. "What are you doing?"

     "I was hungry." Jungkook flipped on the kitchen light and went to straight to the fridge. A high-pitched screech echoed through the house and Taehyung stopped, remembering what Jimin had said when he left the garden, he laughed.

     "What was that?" Jungkook was alarmed.

     "I guess Harley is afraid of spiders." Taehyung grabbed a bottle of water and pulled out a chair, sitting down at the table.

     "Not Harley," Harley ran into the room laughing. "Hoseok."

     Jimin followed shortly after, crouching down behind Taehyung to hide. He peeked out through the rungs of the chair, a clear view of the kitchen doorway in his sights...

     "I'm going to kill you Jimin!" Hoseok's terrified voice was heard coming up the hallway and he suddenly appeared in the kitchen, a murderous look now muddling up his features. "Where is he?"

     Harley shrugged, snickering. "I don't think he came this way." 

     "Don't bullshit me, I saw him run in here." Hoseok went straight to the pantry, throwing open the door and turning on the light. Empty. Harley glanced down at Jimin, eyes wide, he held his finger to his lips.

 _Shhh._ Jimin mouthed, not making a sound.

Hoseok closed the doors and turned on his heel. "Jungkook?"

     "Ah man, I dunno." Jungkook was not good at lying, his eyes darted to where Jimin was squatting. "Maybe the garden?"

     Hoseok smirked, noticing where Jungkook's eyes had settled. "Yeah, thanks."

     Jimin peered up at Harley, waiting for the signal that Hoseok had left, but instead, he felt a weird sensation in his stomach, much like there were a bunch of ants crawling about in there building a home, carrying supplies down his windpipe. He clamped his hand over his mouth to keep himself from gagging and throwing up.

     "Repere pestes," Hoseok called out, smiling. "Ants are such interesting creatures, the way they burrow into the earth creating tunnels-"

     Jimin gagged a few times. Harley looked down at him, disturbed at the thought of colony of ants crawling around in Jimin's stomach.

     "Aren't ants a bit extreme?" Taehyung recognized a hallucination spell when he saw one.

     Jimin burped up an ant, letting out a frazzled scream. The ant crawled about on his hand, weaving in and out of his fingers. "What did you do to me?

     Hoseok raised his eyebrows, "And there's never just one either."

     Jimin burped up two more ants, looking down at them, "Hoseok-"

     "What are you doing to him?" Harley looked at his hand, but she didn't see anything.

     "Tons of them, scurrying about."

     "Dude, stop," Taehyung called out. "You made your point."

     "He stuck a giant spider on my forehead when I was sleeping and then poked me so I'd open my eyes-"

     Taehyung was appalled, "By all means then, enjoy yourself."

     "Taehyung!" Jimin called out, a look of sheer terror now took up residence on his face.

      "Next time you put a spider on me, I'm going to make this real." Hoseok was trying to be serious, but the smirk on his face suggested he was quite enjoying taunting Jimin. Probably revenge on Jimin for his pesky ghost days.

      Jimin looked down at his hands, the ants were gone. "It was a trick?"

     Taehyung sighed, shaking his head. "Jimin, you're an idiot." He stood and walked from the room.

     "What crawled up his ass?" Jimin pouted, checking his hands once more to make sure there were no ants creeping over his skin.

     "I think you should be more worried about what's crawling up your ass." Jungkook kidded and they all laughed.

     Except for Jimin, who stood, pouting as he sat on the chair.

 

     Yoongi was very obviously drunk, almost to the point of being incoherent, stumbling about as he grabbed a canister of gasoline from the trunk of his car. Sehun watched as he poured the gasoline around the perimeter of his house, nearly pouring it on himself in the process. He threw the empty canister down and took out his lighter.

     "Why are you lighting your house on fire?" Sehun was amused.

     "Bad memories." Yoongi slurred, taking a deep breath. "Better to burn them-"

     "Shouldn't you salvage your belongings first?"

     "No, everything in this house has been tainted." Yoongi flicked the lighter on several times, staring at the dancing flame. 

     "Who is this about? Seokjin?"

     "Don't you dare utter that name." Yoongi grabbed Sehun's collar and pushed him back.

     Sehun straightened his shirt out and rolled his eyes, "You're going to set yourself on fire."

     "Go wait in the car, you're killing my mood," Yoongi yelled at him, then turned back to the house, staring at it. Everything in him implored him to light the fire and watch all the memories inside of it go up in flames.

      "What are you waiting for?" Sehun hadn't moved, he just stared at the back of Yoongi's head, hands in his pocket, bored.

     "I hid here, hid from everyone," Yoongi yelled at the sky then turned to Sehun. "Noni urged me to tell him."

     Sehun glared at the house, "So why didn't you?"

     "You know Seokjin, would you have told him you were in love with him?" Yoongi scoffed, "No, I didn't, Don't be dumb."

     "You're the one out here about to burn your house down." Sehun frowned, "Not my fault you're an emotionless jackass."

     "What did you say?" Yoongi sneered, angrily pacing. "You don't know shit."

    "I don't think you do either, dude." Sehun yawned, "I'll be in the car, try not to kill yourself."

     Sehun trudged off and Yoongi stopped pacing, he flicked the lighter on and off a few times, staring at his house, the home that hid so much of his pain. If he could get rid of this, it would be one step closer to getting himself over Seokjin, one step closer to being free of that torture. Truth was, he didn't know why he ran away, he was sure that back then that Seokjin felt something too, after all, even if they were drunk, they did share a bed. _He wasn't in love with you, don't be stupid. Nothing would have come from telling him, it was better to run away, better to hide out and deal with it yourself. Yeah, Yoongi, how did that work out? The only reason you're out here now is because inside, on that couch, even if Cato had his mind, he made you feel things again. Burn it. BURN THE FUCKING THING TO THE GROUND._ Yoongi set the lighter so the flame would stay on and turned it to the highest setting, the flame was a good six inches, flickering about, urging him to throw it.

     "Burn it all!" He stepped closer and threw the lighter on the ground where the gasoline had pooled from the canister. The house went ablaze in a matter of seconds, the heat coming off of it was immense. He backed up, shielding his face from the light, smiling as he watched the flames engulf the whole house. 

     "Crazy fucker," Sehun said to himself, pressing his head against the glass, watching the blaze completely annihilate any trace of the house.

     Yoongi screamed out, it felt so good, the pain trickled out of him like his body was purging itself of all the emotions he had hidden for so long. The heat warming him like a blanket, telling him everything would be okay now. He felt free, for the first time in a long time. He _was_ free. There was just one last thing to do. Now, he needed to see Seokjin, he needed to get everything off his chest.

 

     Seokjin had been walking the grounds for the last half hour, he had left Jungkook fast asleep back in his bed. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, a sudden pang of misery hit him and he couldn't drift back off to sleep. He had the urge to ring Yoongi again to see if he was okay, but Yoongi didn't answer his phone. He thought maybe the fresh air would clear his mind, but the growing dread crept further in.

     "Seokjin!~" Yoongi's voice called out from the darkness and for a minute Seokjin thought he was dreaming.

     "Yoongi?" Seokjin turned around to try to locate where the voice came from.

     Yoongi grabbed his arm and turned him around. "I need to tell you something-"

     "Are you okay, I had a weird feeling something was wrong."

     Yoongi was confused for a moment, but he shook it off, if he didn't say what he had to, to Seokjin right now, he would lose his nerve. "You need to listen and not say anything, just let me finish."

     "Okay." Seokjin noticed there was soot on Yoongi's face and clothing.

     "I need to be free of you, of what I feel for you.." Yoongi turned away from Seokjin, he couldn't look at him while he beared his soul. "I left all those years ago because I was in love with you and I knew it was one-sided and I knew it wouldn't work out." He took a deep breath, "I figured when I came back, it would have been over, that what I felt was long gone..but then Cato took over and I..I felt things, things I knew foolish, but I still hoped." He scoffed, looking up at the sky. "I know it was stupid, but I let Cato get into my head." He took another deep breath, running his fingers through his hair. "I should have told you back then, things might have been different, I don't know, it doesn't matter now. What matters now is that by telling you this, I am free, It's not stuck in my head festering anymore."

     "Yoongi-"

     "I'm letting it go." Yoongi turned his head to look at Seokjin, tears welled up in his eyes, "I know this doesn't make sense, but just know from now on, I won't look at you in that way anymore. You'll just be my best friend, nothing more."

     All Seokjin could do was nod. Yoongi stared at him for a good ten seconds and Seokjin could see that he was working through it all. For the first time in a long while, he saw that spark appear, the spark in Yoongi's eyes that used to be his passion, that used to make him such a great fighter, a great friend. Yoongi looked back up at the sky, his mind a lot lighter.

     "I need to go talk to Taehyung now." Yoongi glanced back at Seokjin, who said nothing, he just looked straight ahead, no emotion. Yoongi nodded. "Thanks for letting me get that out."

     "Yeah." Seokjin smirked.  "Go find Taehyung."

     Yoongi looked at him, it felt like he was saying goodbye to a chapter of his life he had kept turning the pages to for so long, never an end, never a new chapter. He was stuck reliving the words on those pages every day. The second he stepped away, that new chapter would begin to write itself, without any clue where it would lead him. "I'll find you tomorrow, we can start on tracking down the generals."

     

      Seokjin felt better for his best friend, he was finally able to let go of all the hurt he had and could move on, but Seokjin felt indifferent. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt like a small part of him had died too...it was for the best. Everyone would be happier this way.

 

     Taehyung was busying himself in the library, he slipped a book back up on the shelf, wondering who the hell would want to read a book on Quantum Physics in the first place. He hadn't been able to sleep, playing through scenarios in his mind about Sehun and Yoongi. Why did he need Sehun to be his drinking buddy? Why did he never ask him to go anywhere? Taehyung knew it was because he wasn't much of a drinker, but still, it would be nice to be asked. _He thinks of you as just a piece of ass, get over yourself._ Taehyung hated himself for losing sleep over Yoongi. "Asshole."

     Yoongi stopped in the doorway. "Are you talking about me?"

     "Are you drunk?" Taehyung didn't even bother to look at him, he just continued filing the books into empty slots, he didn't even care if they were correct anymore.

     "A little less than earlier." Yoongi walked over to stand behind him.

     "What do you want?" Taehyung was getting angry, he was sure that Yoongi just wanted to have his way again.

     "I need to talk to you." Yoongi's voice cracked.

     "Maybe come back when you're sober." Taehyung lifted his hand to put the book back, but Yoongi grabbed it and turned him around. Taehyung yanked his hand back. "I'm not going to be your piece of ass anymore, so-"

     "I don't want you to be." Yoongi backed up a bit and looked at Taehyung's fist, clenched at his side as if he was about to hit him. "I just need to say something."

     Taehyung noticed the black soot that was settled on Yoongi's clothing and face. "Was there a fire?"

     "Yeah, I kind of burned my house down." Yoongi's smile was wicked.

     "What?" 

     "I had to get rid of the memories there, fire was the only thing I could think of-"

     "The memories of what?" Taehyung was not dumb, he knew exactly what Yoongi meant.

     "I needed to let him go-"

     "So you lit it on fire and watched it burn?"

     "Yeah." Yoongi looked down at the floor, "I've been-"

     "You took Sehun out to burn your house down?"

     "What? Yeah, well I took him to get drunk, that's not important...Taehyung, I-"

     "You what? You thought maybe you'd take a stranger with you, burn your house down, suddenly purge yourself of every feeling you ever had for Seokjin, come tell me how much of an ass you've been and everything would be okay?"

     "No, just listen-"

     "No, I'm not listening to you anymore," Taehyung cut him off, "I'm done."

     "Taehyung-"

     "You should have asked me to go with you tonight if you really wanted to do this..not because you were drunk and decided suddenly that you need to be over Seokjin..and not take Sehun with you to do it."

     "I know-"

     "No, you don't know..you don't know what it's like to be in love with you and treated like a piece of ass-"

     "I know what it's like to be in love with someone and them not reciprocate, I know what that feels like and I know I've hurt you." Yoongi felt a desperation build up inside him, he was losing Taehyung, and he knew it was exactly what he deserved. "I don't expect you to believe me, but I do like you, maybe not the same way you like me right now..but it doesn't mean that I won't."

     Taehyung's mouth hung open in doubt, he wasn't going to wait for a miracle, and how was he supposed to believe Yoongi when he was still intoxicated. He probably wouldn't even remember any of this tomorrow. "I don't care anymore." Taehyung slammed the last few books he had in his hand down into Yoongi's gut and walked out. Yoongi threw down the books and turned towards the door.

    "Taehyung!" Yoongi called after him. No answer. Not a sound except for some crickets chirping in the garden just outside the window. He wasn't going to chase after him, he just had to accept that Taehyung would eventually either believe him and give him another chance..or give up on him. "Shit."

 

     The lab was quiet, Seokjin and Yoongi weren't saying a word, and Taehyung was busy watching over Hoseok's shoulder as he was working with a toad, pretending to be curious about whatever number Charlie this was and it's impending doom, like he hadn't seen at least twenty toads set on fire already. He just needed to occupy his mind on anything but Yoongi.

     "How many tranquilizers you think we'll need?" Jungkook asked, leaning down into the bottom shelf of the cabinet. No one said a word. "Hello?" He looked up at Seokjin who seemed lost in his own world, "Seokjin?"

    "Huh?" Seokjin snapped out of his daydream and looked over at Taehyung.

     "Down here." Jungkook waved when Seokjin peered down at him, "What is with you today?"

     "Sorry, just thinking." Seokjin thought for a moment, "Just bring the whole thing. Better to have too many than not enough."

     Jungkook grabbed the case and stood up, "Yeah sure." He glanced over at Yoongi who had been cleaning the same spot on his gun for the last ten minutes. "Okay. what did I miss?"

     "What do you mean?" Seokjin was honestly confused.

     "If there was any more tension in this room, it might explode."

     "Tension doesn't cause explosions." Hoseok spoke up, "But the kid is right..what's with the three of you?"

     Sehun was amused, he looked from Taehyung to Yoongi to Seokjin and had to laugh. "Yoongi burned his house down to get rid of his feelings for Seokjin and then decided to have a conversation with them about it. Guess it didn't go so well."

     "What talk?" Jungkook glared at Seokjin.

     Seokjin shot Sehun a dirty look, the young vampire just smiled back. "It wasn't anything to worry about."

     "You're quiet because Yoongi told you he was over you?" Jungkook deduced, Taehyung glanced over.

     "No." Seokjin lied, "I'm just thinking about what needs to be done concerning the generals."

     "You're lying." Taehyung butted in, turning to him.

     "Who asked you?" Seokjin snapped.

     "I think you both need to face this now." Taehyung raised his eyebrows.

     "There is nothing to face, this was worked through months ago." Seokjin's voice had a tone of warning, Taehyung was pushing his luck.

     "It was over when I thought that you didn't have feelings-" Jungkook was getting angry. 

     "I don't have feelings..what the fuck?" Seokjin looked at Yoongi, "Some help here?"

     Yoongi didn't have anything to say, he just shrugged.

     "Why are you so quiet then?" Jungkook pushed, "Did it bother you when he said he was over you?"

     "No." Seokjin lied again.

     "Are you sure?" Jungkook slammed the case down on the counter and Yoongi jumped.

     "Jungkook, we've been through this-"

     "Did it bother you?" Jungkook asked again, looking like he was about to hit something.

     "I told you no..what do you want me to say?"

     "The truth." Taehyung interrupted and Seokjin stared at him. "For once in both of your lives, fucking tell the truth."

     "I don't fucking believe this," Seokjin turned his attention back to Jungkook, "Why are you pushing this?"

     "Because I am sick of thinking you might actually feel something-"

     "All of a sudden?" Seokjin yelled.

     "I've felt like you have since it happened. I just didn't want to know the truth." Jungkook's face dropped, "But, I think I already knew."

     Yoongi looked at Jungkook, "You're overreacting. He was glad when I told him, he smiled and told me it was about time."

     Seokjin knew Yoongi was lying to help him, but he didn't need the help, he didn't have feelings for Yoongi, all this was resolved already. He could feel Yoongi's eyes on him, but he didn't dare to look at him. "I need some air." Seokjin set his guns down on the counter and walked out.

     "You don't have to throw him under the bus because you're pissed at me," Yoongi informed Taehyung then turned to grab Seokjin's guns and opened the tranquilizer case, glancing at Jungkook for a second. "You should go talk to him."

     Jungkook sighed, he wasn't sure he could right now. He didn't believe Yoongi's account of what happened last night, and he knew it was stupid of him to have doubts, he knew Seokjin loved him....But, he wasn't ready to deal with a Yoonjin part 2. "I'll talk to him later."

 

     It hurt Seokjin to know that Jungkook still didn't fully trust him, but he would be lying if he said that it didn't bother him a bit that Yoongi was going to let him go, he knew he'd never act on it, but there was still a part inside of him that had liked Yoongi, a little more than he should have or would have admitted to..until last night, he hadn't even given it much thought.

     "So fucking stupid." He growled. He found himself standing over Noni's grave, somehow even long gone, she had a way of drawing the forlorn to her. The breeze blew his hair just slightly, it was like she was there, with her hand on his shoulder telling him that Jungkook would come around.

     "Sometimes old feelings have a way of coming to the surface when things happen to push them there." Noni's voice rung out in his ears.

     He heard footsteps behind him and turned, expecting to see Jungkook... but it wasn't the younger.

     "Noni is missed." Yoosun stepped closer, looking down at her grave, he set a black rose across the dying flowers that already lay there.

     "How hypocritical of you to put a flower on the grave of the woman's who son you almost killed." Seokjin shook his head, disgusted, "What are you doing here?"

     Yoosun didn't say anything and just stared at the gravestone for a good thirty seconds. "I can feel your turmoil, son."

     "Don't call me that." Seokjin clenched his teeth, "Why are you here?" He repeated with a hint of anger in his voice.

     "Word has it, you're hunting the generals." Yoosun glared at Seokjin.

     "And?"

     "I'm sure it crossed your mind that I might be one," Yoosun remarked.

     "I'm sure it has." Seokjin was in no mood for his father's theatrics right now.

     "I haven't changed my philosophy, I don't want anything to do with their plans for world domination."

     "You'll excuse me if that doesn't excite me." Seokjin turned back to Noni's grave. "Why do I need to care?"

     "If you think this is all going to go down easy, you're mistaken." Yoosun smiled, "They're mounting an attack against you."

     "What would life be without a constant challenge?" Seokjin was growing tired of his father's presence. "Is that all?"

     "This isn't a joke, they're expecting you to come after them."

     "Who am I to warrant such a welcoming?" Seokjin snorted.

     "Your reputation is no joke, don't pretend you don't know that already. You have them all scared."

     "What worry is it of yours?" Seokjin scoffed.

     "I've had time to reflect on my actions."

     "Oh shut the fuck up, _Dad_! Don't play that shit with me." Seokjin began to walk away.

     "They won't just go after you, they'll target Jungkook."

     Seokjin stopped.

     "They know he's your weakness." Yoosun pointed out.

     "Again, what worry is it of yours?" Seokjin turned his head to the side, eyeing his father from his peripherals. 

     "There's something in Cato's house that I want-"

     "Of course," Seokjin kept walking. "Fuck off."

     "It would be in your best interest to hear me out. You help me and I can tell you things about them."

     "No thanks," Seokjin called behind him, no sooner than the words left his mouth, he hit an invisible barrier, bouncing off of it and nearly falling to the ground. "Are you serious?" He pounded against it a few times with his fists, but it was solid.

     "I didn't want to have to threaten you, but if you're not going to take my friendly advice, then maybe you'll hear me when I say, if you don't help me, I will make it my life's goal to torture your young lover...to death."

     Seokjin pinned him to the ground in a matter of seconds. "Don't you ever-"

     Yoosun held his hand the Seokjin's chest and sent a jolt of electricity flowing through him, making him weak enough that Yoosun was able to kick Seokjin off and wriggle himself free. Seokjin recovered, standing upright to face down his father, his eyes pitch black. Yoosun held his hand up, warning his son that if he came any closer, electricity wouldn't be coming through the second time. "Back up."

     Seokjin took a deep breath to calm himself, he cracked his neck. "What do you want from Cato's estate?" His fangs scraped his bottom lip.

     Yoosun smiled, "See, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" He put his hand down, "It's a book, that's it. Nothing to get your knickers in a bunch about."

     "Then go get it, you don't need me there-"

     "That's the problem, I do need you there. Misae put a spell on the place, I can't enter without an heir."

     "Why would Misae put a spell on... you know what, never mind, I don't wanna know." Seokjin rubbed his temple, "I don't know when I'll be going there, so you might need to wait awhile."

     "Seokjin, I've been patient enough." He threw up his hand again, conjuring up a black ball, it looked like a storm cloud condensed into a three-inch sphere, complete with its own mini thunderstorm. Seokjin recognized it straight away.

     "You kill me and you don't get your book." Seokjin stared at the sphere, a bit alarmed.

     "I can use Harley if it comes down to it." Yoosun passed the ball from one hand to the other. "Suffocation is a terrible way to go. Are you sure you want that?"

     "When do you want to go?" Seokjin gritted his teeth.

     "No time like the present," Yoosun suggested. "I can tell you about the generals on the way."

     "I'd rather you use that ball on me then get your help." Seokjin hissed.

     "Don't be such a buzzkill." Yoosun smiled, "A little father-son bonding never harmed anyone."

     "I need to let Jungkook know I'm leaving." Seokjin closed his eyes, ignoring that remark.

     "I'll walk you back to the castle," Yoosun informed him.

 

     Yoosun waited in the foyer, admiring the photographs on the wall, leaning in to stare at all the faces of the past. He paused on a photograph of Seokjin and Yoongi standing over a giant octopus-looking beast in a clearing of some forest. He chuckled. _Always so extra._

     Yoongi sauntered in, swallowing down a hefty portion of a twelve-ounce beer bottle he'd just knicked from Hoseok's stash. He stopped short when he saw Yoosun, wondering if he was hallucinating. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

     Yoosun ignored him.

     "I swear to the gods if you weren't a witch, I'd murder you." Yoongi snarled, flashing his fangs.

     "Pipe down vampire, this isn't your concern." Yoosun rubbed his finger over a speck of dirt that covered one of the faces in the photograph he was staring at. "I'll be on my way soon enough."

      Yoongi was confused as to who the hell would invite him in and leave him unattended in the castle in the first place.

     Yoosun turned to Yoongi, looking him up and down. "While Jihoon may look the part, he's not doing shit for the prolongation of your species, in fact, I'd say he's setting you back by about a hundred years. Amelia played you well."

     "The fuck do you know." Yoongi scoffed, offended.

     "You're predictability could cost the vampires their role in the council. Amelia and her minions wish to succeed from the union, bring back the old world values." Yoosun was amused, "They wielded your hatred for your father like a tool."

     "You know nothing." Yoongi couldn't play off the chord that had been struck inside of him, he knew Yoosun was right, the more he dug, the more he found out how well he was played.

     "You'll have no one to blame but yourself when the vampires fall from grace."

     Jungkook followed Seokjin into the room, shooting a look of disgust Yoosun's way. "I'm going with you, no fucking argument."

     "No." Seokjin turned to him. "No way in hell."

     "I have no objections to my future son-in-law tagging along." Yoosun smiled.

     "Shut up." Seokjin snapped. He rested his hands on Jungkook's shoulders, "He can't be trusted-"

     "Exactly why I should go." Jungkook glanced at Yoongi, wondering what the hell he was doing standing there. "In case he decides to murder you again-"

     "I'm still in the room," Yoosun interjected, but Seokjin grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the door.

     "Go wait in my car, you're not helping." He turned back to Jungkook, "I'd feel better if you were here..safe."

     "You need to stop treating me like a kid who can't handle himself." Jungkook shook his head and walked off towards the stairs, "Hey, why don't you take Yoongi, since your so fucking torn up over him at the moment." Jungkook sprinted up the stairs. Seokjin took a deep breath and turned to Yoongi, a headache was starting to pound at the inside of his skull.

     "I'll go." Yoongi offered, and Seokjin sighed.

 

     Cato’s estate was as eerie as it always was, the moon rising in the autumn sky shone it’s light down just enough to cast foreboding shadows from the near leafless trees onto the front of the house, the bushes darkened silhouettes accentuated the grass like mock tombstones, it was like Halloween had come early. The wind blew just slightly, making the air extra chilly. Seokjin looked up at the house, a feeling of unease settled into his bones. He did not like being here and it seemed like the house was emulating his emotions.

     "This house is.." Yoongi was at a loss for which horrible word was enough to describe such a dreadful place?

     "Horrid." Yoosun finished, buttoning his jacket up and glaring up at the attic window. "Let's get this over with."

     Seokjin stuck his key in the door and turned it, the deadbolt unlatched inside with a loud click. Seokjin withdrew his hand and pushed the door, it creaked open announcing his arrival. He stepped inside and flicked the foyer light on, the bulbs in the chandelier overhead popped, 1, 2, 3. The darkness once again claimed the room. "Great." Seokjin huffed.

     Yoongi walked over to the living room wall and flicked the switch, it lit up the room just enough to give him the chills. The portrait of Cato and Misae still staring down at him, like a harbinger of death, watching his every move. He turned away from it, feeling like she was latched onto his back, making it hard for him to breathe. "Can we hurry this up."

     "I assume it's in the library?" Seokjin asked, turning as Yoosun carefully stepped over the threshold. 

     "You'd assume wrong, it's in the basement." Yoosun wasted no time in making a bee-line for the kitchen hallway. The basement was twenty degrees colder than the rest of the house, Seokjin could see his breath when he exhaled. The whole atmosphere mirrored the city morgue - right down to the haunted feeling he got thinking how many dead bodies had passed by these wine bottles. Yoosun made his way around the racks to Misae's room and had already begun his search through her belongings when Seokjin appeared in the doorway. He glanced at the nefarious decor, wondering how many entities had to have been sacrificed here to get just that perfect feeling of doom.

     "Are you looking for her spellbook?" Seokjin shuddered, thinking of all the bad shit that could come from him owning such a powerful book.

     "It's my grandmother's grimoire." Yoosun searched through a cabinet. "I only hope the one Misae was buried with was a decoy."

     "Why do you need that?" 

     "It's not your concern." Yoosun pulled out the contents of two of the cabinets, going to the third. Seokjin noticed on the far wall, the askew portrait of a headless goat was hiding a niche, possibly for a wall safe. He sauntered over nonchalant, eyeing Yoosun who was still bent over. He reached up and removed the portrait, revealing a wall safe. There was no dial or numbers or space for a key, it was just a small grey plate covering the front. Yoosun grabbed Seokjin's hand and pressed it to the plate, a blue light encircled his hand, scanning it. Seokjin squirmed, trying to remove his hand, but the safe clicked and Yoosun pushed him aside. The steel door swung open and inside were several glittering jewelry items, some cash, and a thick, yellow-paged, leather-bound book. He gasped. "It's just as I remember it."

     When Yoosun removed it from the safe, Seokjin was overwhelmed by the sound of chanting voices, he covered his ears, glaring at Yoosun, who didn't even seem to hear the noise. The contrasting mixture of baritone and soprano made him feel nauseous and dizzy. "What is that sound?"

     Yoosun clutched the book to his chest, smiling. "It has been far too long."

     The noise in Seokjin's head only grew louder, he felt like his head was splitting apart. He watched Yoosun set the book down on the table in the middle of the room, turning the pages like he was handling some delicate flower petals, careful not to rip them. Seokjin could see upright stones situated in a circle all around him. In front of each stone sat a dais embellished with a 5-point star shape, each star was different from the one next to it. There were eight of them, each glowing a different color. _Wind, Moon, Sun, Light, Dark, Fire, Earth, and Water._ He could hear muffled chants calling out each of the stars as if summoning something. Yoongi caught him right before he hit the floor.

 

     Seokjin opened his eyes, shielding them from the dim light in the room. "What happened?"

     "You channeled your relatives." Yoosun was excited, "What did you see?"

     Yoongi pulled Seokjin up to stand, he wobbled, leaning on Yoongi to steady himself. "Slabs."

     "You're connected to the book somehow." Yoosun scratched his head, "Peculiar, since you have no magical abilities."

     "I need to get out of here." Seokjin staggered towards the door, the room was closing in on him. His whole body felt restricted, like an invisible hand was wrapping itself around his neck. He hurried out.

 

     Outside, the wind had picked up blowing the trees ominously, Seokjin stumbled out, leaning on the column, he took in several deeps breaths to calm himself. Yoongi rushed out, grabbing Seokjin's arm as he swayed, almost falling. "Dude, you should lay down."

     "I understand how he stayed human for so long," Seokjin mumbled. The magic in that book was strong. He realized how powerful his father really was. "Where did Yoosun go?"

     "I left him in the basement, I wanted to make sure you were okay." Yoongi didn't really care about Yoosun at the moment, he was worried that Seokjin might have been hexed.

     Seokjin's phone vibrated, he had a text. He took out his phone and read it, there was a list of 20 names. **These are the ones you'll need to track down. Abram will know most of their locations. Be careful, they'll be tracking you too.**

     "His favors won't come without consequences." Yoongi read the text.

     "I need to talk to Abram." Seokjin headed to the car, pulling out his keys. "We have to go to the airport."

     "You know he has Skype right?"

     "I can't say this over Skype, you coming or am I going alone?" Seokjin opened his car door.

     Yoongi grabbed the keys from him and pushed him out of the way, climbing into the driver's seat, "There is no way you can drive right now."

     Seokjin smirked as he walked around to open the passenger door and climbed in.

     It was time to purchase two plane tickets to Russia!

     

    

     


	54. BONUS 4: Closer

     Abram's house was uncharacteristically cold, both physically and mentally. There was no fire lit in the fireplace to warm the living room like the last visit, Seokjin didn't understand how icicles hadn't formed on anything yet. Photo books were scattered all over the coffee table and floor, like he had been revisiting his past - a sense of nostalgia lurked in the air. He had obviously been sleeping on the couch as evident by the blanket and pillow crumpled up on the ottoman. The room was also riddled with dishes still fresh with remnants of past meals, like he ate and just left the plates there because he didn't have the will to take them in the kitchen to do them. Half the reason his home was so inviting in the past was that Abram was such a jolly spirit..but now, coupled with the weather, the house was drowning in sorrow. Abram was depressed.

     "Abram, are you okay?" Seokjin was concerned, turning on a lamp to lighten up the dark room.

     Abram looked up at him over his half-rimmed glasses while he cleared off two of the chairs at the table. "Oh Seokjin, you will have to excuse the mess, I wasn't expecting visitors."

     Seokjin helped lift some of the books from the one chair and offered it to Yoongi while moving the books from the table and stacking them on the floor. "Do you want me to start a fire for you?"

     "Oh no, that won't be necessary. I don't require much heat. I only keep it lit if there are guests." Abram sat down, "Please have a seat. May I offer you some tea?"

     "No thank you." Seokjin sat, filled with a sudden curiosity as to what species of supernatural Abram might be. "May I be so bold as to ask exactly what you are?"

     "To put it in laymen terms, I suppose you would call me a were-dragon." He chuckled.

     "A were what?" Yoongi was sure he heard wrong.

     "Mutata Draco," Abram repeated in latin. "If I didn't take my potion, every full moon would bring quite the uproar." He giggled at his pun.

     "You're an actual dragon?"Yoongi was impressed.

     "Well, I wasn't born that way, I was cursed as a young adult. I was an empath like Noni. I used to do readings at the circus, The Animi Spectris - the supernatural greatest show on earth."

     "I sense a love story" Seokjin leaned in, an inquisitive look upon his face.

     "Her name was Asya Konstantinov, she was the daughter of a Russian aristocrat. He didn't approve of her traveling to such places to hang out with such..riff-raff." Abram smiled with a far off look in his eyes. "Her mother was a powerful witch, the head of her coven and quite skilled with hexes and curses. Short of it is, we tried to run off, they found us and I got cursed with roaming the earth as a dragon. If it hadn't been for Noni seeking out a Counterist, I would still be one."

     "A Counterist?" Yoongi was slightly intrigued, he had heard of one before but couldn't place where.

     "A person skilled in reversing curses. Counter-spells are very hard to learn, only a spare few can fully hone the talent enough to be called an expert. The particular spell that was put on me was difficult to crack, as it turns out, the longer you live as a dragon, the more your DNA is altered."

     "I thought lizards needed heat?"

     Abram was almost offended, "A dragon is not a lizard, they are a whole different species." Abram studied Yoongi for a moment, "My empathy skills were altered, I don't feel others pain anymore, instead, my aura gives off emotions that make others feel them. I'm quite sure the house feels rather dreadful these days."

     "I'm sure you miss Noni a lot." Seokjin looked down.

     "Da." Abram took a deep saddened breath. "I'm afraid my light has gone out."

     Seokjin's heart snapped. Abram wasn't kidding about the reverse-empath effect. "I'm sorry."

     "Life goes on." Abram adjusted his glasses back onto his face properly and looked to the both of them, trying to muster up some merriment. "What brings you to Russia?"

     Seokjin exchanged glances with Yoongi while he pulled out his phone, he pulled up the text and showed it to Abram. "Are these names familiar?"

     Abram hooked the phone up to his computer and printed off the text. "What favor did you have to do for Yoosun to receive this?"

     "A grimoire," Seokjin remembered the vision he had when Yoosun was turning the pages of the old book, a chill ran up his spine.

     "Seong's grimoire?" Abram looked appalled, "Please tell me he did not leave with the book?"

     "He left with it after Seokjin had a vision." Yoongi voiced.

     Abram's face scrunched up like he was experiencing a sudden pain, "You need to get that book back at all costs."

     "I have other pressing matters at the moment." Seokjin wasn't sure he wanted to know what can of worms was about to be opened with Yoosun owning that book.

     "That book in Yoosun's hands is the worse possible thing you can imagine," Abram warned him. He leaned in, pressing for details, "What was your vision?"

     "It was just a bunch of stones in a circle with a dais that represented the elements-"

     "Wind, Moon, Sun, Light, Dark, Fire, Earth and Water?"

      Seokjin nodded. 

     "He's going to reanimate your grandfather-" Abram's voice became grave, "The vision was a warning."

     "WHAT?!" Yoongi exclaimed, nearly falling off his seat by the sudden scoot of his bum to move closer to the table.

     "That book is the only link to bringing back the dead in a full state, like setting a moment in time to drag someone out of." Abram looked for a file on his computer, "I've been adding all my books to the computer, I'm not sure if I have it in here yet.."

     "But there are spells that bring back the dead already-" Seokjin was perplexed.

     "To bring them back temporarily, not like they were when they were alive, and they die off shortly after. I'm talking a living, breathing fully restored cognizant being. That book was supposed to be buried with Misae, there was a spell placed on her coffin to obliterate anyone who dare try to dig her up to steal the book."

     "What happens if he brings Cato back?"

     "All hell breaks loose-"

     "So why would he give us this list? Wouldn't he need the generals to build the army back up?" Yoongi asked.

     "Just because the generals are carrying out Cato's ideas, doesn't mean that everyone agrees with the new order." Abram sat back from his screen and thought for a moment, "The book I require would be on my bed upstairs, Yoongi, would you be so kind?"

     "Oh yeah, sure." Yoongi stood and headed off towards the stairs.

     "I think your father wants to bring him back so he can steal his powers, continue with his original plan."

     "To be king?" Seokjin half-joked, but knowing Yoosun, this was probably true.

     "I never did understand Yoosun's ability to remain human for so long without any inclination that he was camouflaging himself. He was able to effortlessly keep himself in a human state and no one was the wiser." His normal state being like Cato, a beast but with anthropomorphic qualities. "I never put it together that he could be a witch."

     "So his grandmother was a witch?"

     "No one paid much attention to Seong, she left when Cato was a young child, no one heard from her after that." Abram fixed his glasses, "The only thing I know of her is that she had the grimoire and gave it to Misae. I just assumed it was something she acquired and she didn't know how to use it."

     "Bloodlines aside, what I want to know is, how is he so powerful?"

     "There could be many reasons. He is the offspring of a deity, all his powers are heightened, not just Onyx strengths, but any sort of magical powers would be as well. There's also the fact that magic can be grown and expanded. No witch is born with their full potential, with proper study and dedication, a low-level witch could grow to be powerful in a matter of a decade or two." Abram thought for a moment, "If Seong was indeed a witch, then he inherited the trait from her."

     "How was I able to see the vision?" Seokjin remembered what Yoosun had said, "He said it was peculiar because I don't have magic."

     "It is indeed, non-witches don't have visions of the rituals, it's just not possible." Abram stared at the wall for a moment, contemplating. "Theoretically, you could have dormant abilities, that may or may not ever surface."

     Yoongi returned with several books stacked in his hands and set them down on the table with a thud. "I wasn't sure which book."

     Abram ran his finger down the pile, stopping at the second to last book ' High-Level Spells'. He pulled it out and thumbed through the pages, stopping half way through. "Reanimation vs. Resurrection." He handed the book to Seokjin.

     "Resurrection spells bring back the dead, as they were when they died, for a single purpose such as fighting or for retrieval of items that a normal human could not perform. Reanimation is restoring life to a once dead entity, to revive a dead spirit and rejuvenate them to their original state." Seokjin read off.

     "So why don't more people try to perform this spell?" Yoongi asked as he sat down.

     "Well for one, it's told that it was only written in four books, two were destroyed, one was thought to be buried with Misae and the other is in the god realm. The incantation itself cannot be memorized, it has to be read from the book directly. Secondly, it can only be done by someone highly skilled in magic, I'm talking, with deity-like power."

     "Is Yoosun strong enough?"

     "I don't believe he is yet." Abram surmised, "Plus he will need some of Cato's DNA and a sacrifice."

     "That's why he was at the graveyard." Seokjin figured, "Gathering DNA. I'm sure he didn't expect to see me there, but two birds, one stone."

     "I suspect you still have time to track him down before he is able to perform it." Abram set the book down, "I'll add this to my database later and send it along to Jimin in case you need to read."

     "Did he give me this list to keep me preoccupied?" Seokjin felt like if he tracked down the generals now, he would just be going along with Yoosun's plan.

     "I presume he wants them all gone, if anyone gets word of him trying to bring back Cato, they're going to want to foil his plans to steal his power, their savior's return would mean so many things."

     "Maybe I should strike a deal with them."

     "You're their anti, there is no way they would see it as an alliance, they'd help Yoosun bring back Cato before they would help you kill him." Yoongi pointed out.

     "There is also the possibility that he will seek you out to be his sacrifice." Abram theorized. 

     "I knew I shouldn't have helped him." Seokjin complained, "But-"

     "But he would have hunted Jungkook." Yoongi shook his head, scoffing.

     Seokjin merely nodded.

     "Jungkook is always going to be your trigger." Yoongi indicated, irritated that again the fate of the world would suffer because of Seokjin's love for Jungkook.

     "Don't start that." Seokjin berated him. "You wouldn't let Yoosun torture Jungkook either."

     "I'm not so sure about that." Yoongi put up both his hands as if he was weighing invisible weights, "Jungkook" He moved his right hand down, "A powerful spellbook in Yoosun's hands." He moved his left hand up to show that he would indeed rather have Jungkook be tortured for eternity. "That's why he's your weakness, not mine."

     "Okay smartass, would you be able to let him torture me?" Seokjin raised his eyebrows, questioning.

      _Not fair._ "In a heartbeat." Yoongi smirked, lying through his teeth, but he didn't want to give Seokjin the satisfaction of being right.

     "Yeah, bullshit." Seokjin spat, a hint of conceit in his voice.

     "People are allowed to get over you." Yoongi stood, annoyed that Seokjin would have the gall to taunt him for how he felt about him. "I'll be outside."

     Seokjin turned back to Abram, irked with Yoongi. "He said you know the location of most of these people."

     Abram glared back at the names. "I believe Jimin would have this information in the archives as well, what he doesn't, I can send to him. Just tell him to email me."

     "Thanks Abram." Seokjin sighed, glancing towards the door.

     "Seokjin?" Abram looked at the door, "Yoongi is a proud person, he would never ask for help, but I believe he's under a tremendous amount of stress."

     "What do you mean?"

     "Amelia and Jihoon have been making strides within the vampire hierarchy, he's using his power to try to restore old world order and rearrange some laws. I think they are spooked by the white wolf prophecy."

     "Jungkook?"

     "With you two together, it's making people antsy."

 

     Yoongi was sitting on the fence by the barn, staring out at the snowy fields. Seokjin strode over and leaned on the piece of the fence next to him. The whole thing looked like it could fall apart at any moment and Seokjin wasn't sure if Yoongi should be sitting on the dilapidated wood. "Why didn't you tell me things were so bad?"

      "With what?" Yoongi glanced down at him for a moment.

     "Jihoon and Amelia's agenda."

     "It's not your problem." Yoongi was sullen. "I fucked up."

     "The council would probably reinstate your privileges, knowing what the two of them are up to."

     "If I don't go back, they all lose, if I do go back, my father wins." Yoongi was torn, "I don't want that life, but I can't sit by and watch this happen either."

     "If I can help-"

     "No. I don't want your help." Yoongi said flatly.

     "Ouch." Seokjin was surprised, he looked off towards the field.

     "Tracking down the generals is going to be time-consuming enough."

     "Then don't help," Seokjin suggested.

     "I promised I would."

     "I can do it myself." Seokjin leaned up, about to walk away. "Your specialty is walking away, this shouldn't be that difficult for you."

     "Why are you being such a  dick?" Yoongi jumped down off the fence.

     Seokjin began to walk and then stopped, he turned to Yoongi. "Avoidance, I get it."

     "Should I be spending all my time with you?" Yoongi raised his voice taking several steps towards him. "You think that's supposed to help?"

     "I don't know Yoongi,  I didn't ask to be the object of your affection, I just wanted a best friend."

     Yoongi was offended, "Wow, that's a real fucking nice way to put it."

     "Do you wanna know the truth?" Seokjin pushed him backward, he felt like he could beat the shit out of Yoongi at the moment. "I did like you back then and you fucking ran off without a word. I wanted to ask you so many times why you left, but it was easier to think I did something wrong than to know for sure, so I left it alone. I figured you'd come back..then the years passed by." Seokjin looked away. "I don't allow myself to get bogged down by emotions, but you really fucking hurt me."

     Yoongi was shook to his very core. "Don't tell me that now."

     "Maybe if you weren't such a coward back then things might be different." Seokjin shook his head and walked off.

     "Why would you tell me this now, right when I decided to let you go?" Yoongi called after him.

     Seokjin shrugged and turned to Yoongi, continuing to walk, "Maybe you should know what your decisions do to people." 

     "You son of a bitch." Yoongi yelled after him. _How dare he tell you this now._ Yoongi felt even worse. He ripped the fence post from the ground and flung it straight across the field, cursing the world for allowing Seokjin to be born.

 

     Seokjin was asleep on the couch when Yoongi decided to come back. Half frozen, he cupped his hands together in front of the small fire that was now lit in the fireplace. He bent down to throw another log on top, pushing it into place with the poker. He glanced over at Seokjin, admiring the way the flames flickered on his face in the dark room, no matter how angry Yoongi was at him, seeing Seokjin's face always made him weak. How was he supposed to move on from this guy? He loved everything about him, that is, after all, why they were best friends in the first place. _No, I went down that path already, it's over. It's done._ Yoongi turned back to the fire. He was sticking to his guns, he would not let Seokjin get to him. _He just wanted to hurt me. I deserved it, I hurt him. Jesus Christ, why didn't I know that he liked me then? Stop it Yoongi, it's all in the past. He has Jungkook and nothing is ever going to change that._ Yoongi decided it was best just not to ask Seokjin about what he said earlier and pretend it never happened. He needed to figure out a way to help the vampires without becoming that which he hated - between hunting down the generals and that, he would be plenty preoccupied. He laid down on the carpet, letting the fire warm him, he stared at the ceiling as if it held all the answers to the universe. Tomorrow is a new day, time to keep the past where it belongs.

     

     The morning was quiet, Abram made them both a small breakfast which they ate in silence. Seokjin was busy texting Jungkook, having to explain where he was and who he was with, was not going over well. Jungkook was livid. _You don't deserve him, Seokjin._ He glanced at Yoongi who was now immersed in a book on Vampire Lore, very clearly not wanting to talk about anything that happened in the last day. Seokjin agreed silently, it was for the better. He texted Jungkook back. **I'm not going to do anything that will jeopardize our relationship. **Please** just trust me.**  He set his phone down and grabbed the dishes from the table and took them into the kitchen. His phone buzzed and Yoongi glanced over at the lit up screen. **You're very clearly in love with him, don't bullshit me**. Yoongi quickly diverted his attention back to his book as Seokjin walked in and picked up his phone. He read the text and sighed. Seokjin dialed Jungkook and grabbed his hoodie and went outside.

     "What?" Jungkook's voice was angry.

     "I'm not going to lie, I felt something at one point, but I swear to you, it's not anything now." Seokjin felt it would be best to be honest.

     "Felt what?" Jungkook's voice went from angry to upset, he didn't expect Seokjin to actually admit it.

     "I dunno..something." Seokjin slipped on his hoodie.

     "So you were upset when he told you he was going to get over you?"

     "Not upset, just shocked I guess." Seokjin leaned against the rail of the porch. "I wouldn't ever do anything with him, you need to believe that."

      Jungkook was quiet for a minute, Seokjin could tell he was bothered. "I dunno if I can believe you."

     "Jungkook-"

     "I need to go." Jungkook didn't give Seokjin a chance to speak, he hung up, leaving Seokjin to stare at his phone, wondering why he didn't just lie. Seokjin felt the sudden urge to go to Jungkook, he didn't care about anything else but making sure Jungkook understood. He hurried inside and looked at Yoongi.

     "We need to go. Now." Seokjin turned to Abram and bowed, "Thank you."

     "What's going on?" Yoongi asked but Seokjin just opened the door wider and held his hand out for Yoongi to pass. Yoongi set the book down and stood, bowed to Abram and then shuffled over to the door and stepped out, Seokjin joined him on the stoop and then suddenly stopped. Hesitant, he turned to Abram.

     "What ever happened to Asya?" Seokjin queried, he had to know.

     Abram was shocked, he stuttered, "Oh, I..well...she's..gone."

     "How?" Seokjin pressed.

     "Being a dragon for so long made me different, when I finally became human again, we were so worried about spending every second together because we knew it could all end at any minute. We came here, built this cottage, raised animals...We didn't leave each other's side." He smiled, but it quickly turned sour. "When an empath's abilities are reversed and people can feel what we do, it's hard to deal with, everything is amplified..every stray thought, every ounce of anger, all the sad moments of anyone I ever had to deal with..it came back. She was so filled with anger and sadness..." Abram choked up, "She killed herself."

     Seokjin closed his eyes, a strange chill ran through his body making him shudder, "I'm sorry."

 

     Seokjin could not find Jungkook, he wasn't in his room, the lab, the library or the kitchen, Taehyung hadn't seen him since the night before and Hoseok said he took out a motorcycle sometime around 4 A.M. His only hope was that Jungkook didn't disable the GPS and he could track him down that way. Much to Seokjin's delight, the GPS signal was strong as he sped along the familiar stretch of road that led to the same place he always went when he needed to think. A half hour later, Seokjin joined him on the beach, the sky was a swirl of grey clouds and the sea was rough, he watched the waves crash down in front of him thinking how oddly beautiful it was. A storm was brewing on the horizon, he was sure Jungkook's emotions had something to do with it.

     "Choppy out there, is that you?"

     Jungkook shrugged, he was sure the water and winds were a lot calmer before he got there, but he couldn't assume every weather anomaly was his fault. "I don't know."

     Seokjin sunk down onto the sand next to the younger, he wasn't sure what to say and had remained quiet for three or four minutes mulling over the words in his brain, when Jungkook turned to him, he knew he had to say something. "A 10-hour flight is a long time to think things through."

     "If it's lies, I don't want to hear it." Jungkook shifted his body, leaning forward and resting his arms atop his knees, hunched over, staring at the tide.

     "When I first came to the castle, I was barely 18, I was pissed off at the world and my only focus was training, I needed to kill Jacker. I didn't need friends or anyone telling me to slow down or that my mindset was going to get me killed. Everyone tried to get in my head to calm me down, everyone except Yoongi. He encouraged me to do what I wanted, to train if I needed to, to keep everything I felt balled up into anger if I had to. He helped me train, and he didn't care if I didn't talk about my feelings. He understood what I felt somehow. He was the first person I could actually call a friend, because he let me be who I was." Seokjin didn't break his eye contact with Jungkook, he needed the younger to know everything he was saying was from his heart and not a lie. "We did a lot together, got into a lot of trouble and it was fun, I wasn't so uptight when I spent time with him. It wasn't love, at least not like what I share with you. It was adoration or respect or..I don't know. Yoongi just always got me, maybe because we were so much alike." Seokjin took a large pronounced breath, "So that night when we got drunk and...ended up in bed. I realized I liked him. But it didn't matter because two days later he left, no explanation. He didn't call or visit, he just left. At that time I didn't really understand what it was..I was hurt. I didn't know why he left so I figured I just did something wrong and so I didn't allow myself to get close to anyone again...until you. It was easier to just put it in the back of my mind and not think on it.  When he came back, I had my best friend back, the one person in the world that understood me from the beginning, it was like he never left." Tears welled up in Seokjin's eyes, he hadn't thought this much about his friendship with Yoongi..ever. "I won't lie to you, it wasn't all Cato that.." He looked down at the sand, what he as about to say would hurt Jungkook, but it had to be said. "For a small moment I felt like I didn't deserve you, that you would never understand who I was and that you'd be better off without me in your life..so I gave in. Onyx don't love more than one person, but I had Cato's psyche in me, so I felt..I felt.." He looked at Jungkook who was staring back at him with doe eyes, Seokjin's heart broke, he couldn't get the words out, it was a like they lumped up in his throat threatening to choke him. "I felt-"

     "Love?" Jungkook knew this moment would come, the moment he forgave him for a few months ago without knowing the whole story, he knew he should have talked it through more.

     "Infatuation." Seokjin nodded, agreeing with himself that there wasn't a more perfect word to describe what he felt for Yoongi, "I can't call it love because it's nothing compared to how I feel about you, but it was something."

     Jungkook was partially relieved. "So why did it bother you so much when he decided to move on?"

     "I don't want to lose my best friend. Trust me, no one else is rooting for him to be with Taehyung more than me, I want them both to be happy, but if I lose him as my friend, I'll be devastated."

     Jungkook reached out and grasped Seokjin's hand. "I can handle that."

     "I know it would be healthier for us if I gave up my friendship with him and I feel like shit that this bothers you, but-"

     "You don't have to explain, I get it." Jungkook wrapped his arm around Seokjin and pulled him into a hug, Seokjin never felt so glad to be in Jungkook's arms. "I can't promise I won't get jealous, but I won't think the worst now."

     "I really don't deserve you." Seokjin closed his eyes and hugged him tighter.

     Jungkook felt like his eyes could pop out of their sockets, "Agh Seokjin, you're crushing me."

     Seokjin let go, "Sorry."

     "I trust you." Jungkook confided, "But you won't get any more chances."

     Seokjin nodded, "Yoongi and I will only ever be friends. I can promise you that."

 

     Jimin had a list made up - addresses, species and known accomplices of all the names on the list Yoosun had given Seokjin when he and Yoongi visited him the next day. This was the first time Seokjin had been in Jimin's part of the castle since he first came here, it looked a lot different now. He suspected partly because there was no parent there to tell them to clean up after themselves. Seokjin had to move several dirty shirts from the chair as he sat down, wondering as he gawked at the amount of strewn clothes atop every surface if they ever did laundry. Yoongi was off to the side looking at the pictures of young Taehyung that were lined along the bookshelf.

     "Why are there so many pictures of Taehyung and none of you?" Yoongi asked, amused.

     "My dad was mad at me for awhile, he never got the chance to put them back up." Jimin sighed.

     "Oh." Yoongi felt bad. Jimin and Taehyung actually liked their father, so this had to be hard. "Sorry."

     "It is what it is." He handed the folder to Seokjin and sat across from him. Seokjin opened the folder and looked over the contents.

     "Thanks." Seokjin closed it again and glanced over at Yoongi, before leaning in so only Jimin could hear him. "I need a favor."

     Jimin furrowed his brows and took a quick glance at Yoongi, Seokjin gave a quick shake of his head letting him know that Yoongi couldn't know. "Text me." He whispered.

     Seokjin nodded and stood, "Let me know when Abram sends you the last two."

    Jimin nodded, "Will do."

    "Where to first?" Yoongi turned to Seokjin as they walked out.

    "I have a date, I'll get with you later about it." Seokjin closed the door behind him, "You should go track down Taehyung."

     Yoongi let out a small laugh, fat chance of that happening. "Text me when you're back."

     Seokjin watched Yoongi saunter off, he turned back to the door and opened it and quickly snuck in.

     "I thought you were gonna text?"

     "I need to know what Jihoon and Amelia are up to." Seokjin pressed, "As much as you can find out."

     "Does he want your help?" Jimin opened his laptop.

     "No, but I can't let him deal with this alone." Seokjin sat down at the table. "Please, I'll owe you."

     "I'll help, but I don't think you should push Yoongi to try to get with Taehyung,"

     "Why?" Seokjin was puzzled.

     "I shouldn't have to tell you, I'm sure you can figure out what it's doing to Tae-"

     "He likes Taehyung." Seokjin pointed out.

     "It isn't a healthy relationship, I'm sick of seeing him hurt." Jimin glared back down at his laptop, exhaling. "Just give me some time, I'll get you what I can."

 

     Seokjin took Jungkook horseback riding on a small stretch of land not far away from where one of the pack's owned land sat. The trail they were riding was wide open countryside with nothing but their clothing to block the elements, the wind was chilling their faces and Jungkook complained that maybe this wasn't the best idea for a date.

     "It's exhilarating, the coldness keeps you alert." Seokjin tried to look to the bright side.

     "You know I'd much rather be under a warm blanket watching a movie with you, maybe..doing some..fooling around," Jungkook smirked.

     "Horndog." Seokjin kidded. "I should confess...I have an ulterior motive."

     Jungkook stopped his horse and stared at the back of Seokjin's head. "Pardon?"

    Seokjin stopped and made the horse turn around and gallop back to Jungkook's horse. "I got the list from Jimin today. One of the packs is near Devil's Rock."

    "How big of a pack?"

     "Five members tops, it's one of the smaller packs."

     "Are we going to die?" Jungkook was half serious.

     "They're half-fairy, like a bunch of little Harleys." 

      "She's pretty tough." Jungkook pointed out.

     "We're tougher, don't worry." Seokjin took out his phone and brought up the map. "It's close."

     "Are we just going to slaughter them out here, shouldn't we be prepared?" Jungkook was concerned.

     Seokjin patted the pack on his horse and smiled. "Easy job."

     Jungkook sighed, "Okay, but I pick where we eat afterward."

     Seokjin smirked, nodding, "Deal." He handed a gun to Jungkook.

     Jungkook checked the chamber, "What are these?" Jungkook had never seen bullets like these at the lab. An odd blue glow that matched the liquid inside the glass cylinder cast a bluish tint on his skin - they had a strange aura to them.

     "Automatic cleanup," Seokjin clicked his tongue and pulled the reins, trotting towards the large outcrop of rocks to the west. "Come on."

     It was a good fifteen-minute ride until they reached the base of the rock formation. An insect that had been singing moments earlier ceased its song as Seokjin climbed off his horse and tied the reins to a small tree, watching as Jungkook approached and halted. The atmosphere became abnormally quiet.

     "Why here?"

     "Who would think to come out here to look for a pack of hybrids?" Seokjin tied the reins of Jungkook's horse to the tree next to his and turned to him, "They can probably smell us by now, so be vigilant."

     "I wanna know how Jimin got an address out here?"

     Seokjin smirked, "Last known location, a scout disappeared around here two days ago, but not before snapping off a pic and sending it to Abram."

     "Fair enough." Jungkook secured the gun in his belt and climbed down off the horse. The moment he set his Timberlands down on the ground, the first attack came, it was a swift fly by and a fresh slice appeared on Jungkook's face. He grabbed his cheek and looked at the blood. "Fucking shit."

     Another three swooshes came at them, Seokjin grabbed one of them by the throat, it couldn't have been more than two feet high as it wiggled in his grasp, trying to break free. He held the gun to its head and looked it dead in the eyes. "You picked the wrong side." He announced, seconds later the shot rang out and Jungkook looked over to see ashes fall from Seokjin's hand. 

     "Woh." Jungkook bellowed, half impressed, half shocked. He didn't like this part of who he was, killing things. He knew it must be done, they were all bad people out to hurt the very foundation of all he believed in, but it didn't lessen the unease of having to take a life. He didn't have time to think on it, a hard hit in the gut made him double over. Gasping for breath, he cursed the gods above.

     "Concentrate." Seokjin nabbed another as it swirled around him like a small tornado, reaching out its tiny claws and swiping across his face drawing blood, he reduced it to a pile of ash seconds later, wiping the trickle of blood that ran down his cheek and licking it from his fingers. "Three left..."

    Jungkook straightened up, listening, he spotted a figure standing over his shoulder on the rock, his bow aimed at Seokjin ready to fire. Jungkook leaped up and grabbed the arrow in mid-air moments after he shot it, then landed back on the ground and snapped it in half in some sort of exaggerated acrobatic maneuver. He glared at the creature as it took an arrow from its quiver and aimed it at him. Jungkook dashed around the rock, coming up behind the creature, he tackled it and they both fell off the rock, to the ground with a thud. He tore the gun from his belt and aimed it, but the creature knocked it from his hand and kicked it aside before Jungkook could dive for it. They both stood and looked at each other, circling the other.

     "White wolf, you dare to show your face before me?" The creature spoke.

     Jungkook halted. He didn't know what to say. _Think of something witty, think of something witty._ "Yeah, so what?" Jungkook choked out and then mentally slapped himself upside the head.

     The creature stepped into the light cast off by the near-full moon, its brilliance beamed through the creature's translucent wings, Jungkook could make out the intricate patterns enlaced into them, it was quite beautiful. Seokjin took aim at the two that took their place on the rock behind their leader. Jungkook glanced over at Seokjin staring the creatures down, his demeanor was all business. _Not even a nervous blink._  "I ask you again white wolf, what is your purpose here?"

     "I would think that was pretty clear," Seokjin spoke in his place.

     "We wish you no harm."

     "Only global domination, no harm at all." Seokjin snarled.

     "You think a lowly pack of fairies is a threat?" The creature gave a warm smile. "The world has far more to fear of the two of you than they do of us." He looked at Jungkook in awe. "White wolf does not understand his destiny?"

     "What are you talking about?" Jungkook's curiosity got the better of him.

     "Oh, you do not know?" He approached Jungkook, Seokjin cocked his gun and kept his aim on the creature. "There is no need for violence, Seokjin."

     "Don't get any closer." Seokjin stepped in front of Jungkook, blocking him.

     "They said you were protective, I did not realize the intensity of an onyx bond, I've never experienced love myself."

     Seokjin glanced at the other two creatures who did not move, he was expecting at any minute they would flank them and try to attack, so he was on high alert. "Then you know I won't hesitate to kill you."

     "Brother." The creature started, "I wish you no harm."

     Jungkook stepped out from behind Seokjin, "I don't need protecting." He looked at Seokjin annoyed, then back to the creature.

     "He treats you like an incompetent I see." The creature spoke to Jungkook and Jungkook nodded slightly, he couldn't deny that Seokjin did lean towards such behavior.

     "It's in our blood to protect those we love, sometimes blindingly so." The creature smiled, "We have seen a new light Seokjin, we are no longer part of Cato's generals, this is why we hide out here in solitude."

     "What do you take me for?" Seokjin scoffed, "I'm to expect you suddenly turned over a new leaf?"

     "I know it seems odd to hear," The creature turned to him, "You should be more worried about yourselves."

     "We've heard the stories-" 

     "What are you trying to get at?" Jungkook interrupted.

     "Sometimes things happen to change one's outlook, one's ideals." He took a deep breath, "Sometimes something so horrible happens to change a person for the worse."

     "I am never going to be evil." Jungkook spat.

     "Who said it would be you that would do bad things?" The creature smiled and glanced at Seokjin, "Not everything is squeaky clean, the dirt can't always be washed away."

     "Stop with the bullshit." Seokjin raised his voice to make his point.

     "Imagine the vampires coming into a power that is so corrupt the only way to stop them is to annihilate them."

     "As much as I'd like to assist with your little delusion, not all vampires are bad-" Seokjin insisted, 

     "Yoongi, your best friend? You think he will rise up and be the victor?" The creature laughed, "Seokjin, your bias makes you blind."

     "He is fighting a losing battle, the vampires will revolt." The creature behind spoke up. "Only the werewolves will be able to stop them."

     "Or more specifically, only the white wolf can end the reign of the king."

     "The King is already dead-"

     "Yeolgwi was only a peon compared to the power Jihoon will acquire. That grimoire wasn't only to bring back the demi-god, it's going to give Jihoon the exact thing he needs to overthrow the ones that try to get in his way. Yoosun will see to that."

     "How do you know about the grimoire?" Seokjin was shocked, no one could have known about that.

     "We have our ways, you're not the only one with scouts." The creature raised his eyebrows. "We want no part of that, you can believe what you want. I will defend my right to live if you still fail to see that my intentions are genuine, but I do not wish that it will come to that."

     "Why is Yoosun so hell bent on destroying everything?" Jungkook inquired, confused now more than ever.

     "Yoosun is exactly what happens when a child does not get his way." The creature uttered, "He is the epitome of negativity among your kind."

     Seokjin was hoping for a better answer than that, but he wasn't even sure if he could trust the word of one of Cato's children in the first place.

     "Your allegiance to Yoongi will be the undoing." The creature on the rock added and Seokjin glared up at him. 

     "What do you mean?" Jungkook fretted, he knew he would not like the answer.

     "It's simple if you look deep enough." The creature joined his pack mates on the rock, giving Jungkook a knowing smirk. "It's your move."

 

     Seokjin and Jungkook rode back in silence, the both of them were baffled, they could not make sense of what the creature told them. He told Seokjin just before they got on their horses, that if Jungkook found the book in their library, all the questions would be answered. This was the very same book that Yoosun had warned them about, he made it seem like if Jungkook were to find it, it would be the end all of everything. Seokjin was now convinced that he had lied about it so that they wouldn't search for it, because it told of what was to come and how to stop it, and with that knowledge, Yoosun could not carry out his plans. The thing that confused him the most was that the hybrids also made it seem like he was still destined to do bad things....because of his alliance with Yoongi. 

 

     "You let them live?" Yoongi gasped, "What the hell?"

     Seokjin set his pack down on the table in the lab, Hoseok looked up at him, "The bullets work okay?"

     "Perfect." Seokjin turned to Yoongi, "There are other things we need to be concerned about right now."

     "Like what? Your sanity?" Yoongi was beside himself. Sehun laughed out loud, amused. Yoongi shot him a dirty look.

     Seokjin turned to Sehun, staring at the crystal rope necklace that hung from his neck. _They know too much now._  He tromped over and yanked it off, breaking the rope and jolting Sehun's neck forward. 

     "Hey.." Sehun stood up and tried to grab it, but Seokjin pushed him back down to the cot.

     Seokjin held the crystal up to his face and spoke into it, "I'm coming for you, mark my words, whoever you are, I am coming for you." He threw the crystal down to the floor and stepped on it with the heel of his boot, crushing it into pieces.

     Sehun looked down at the shards, "Why did you do that?"

     Seokjin grabbed Sehun by his collar and pulled him up. "Who gave you that?"

     "My father..why?" Sehun still did not realize that the crystal was spelled.

     "It was linked, did you know that?" Seokjin tightened his grip, Sehun's face turned to instant confusion.

     "Linked?" Sehun did not know what that meant, he had never heard that term before. "What the hell does that mean?"

     "The crystal was enchanted, a spell that let someone watch what was going in, like a bug, except they could see everything too," Hoseok explained.

     "Why would they bug me?"

     "Because they knew Yoongi wouldn't kill you, they probably didn't think we would figure out that your necklace was linked, so spying on us would be cake." Seokjin sneered. He pushed Sehun back down to the mattress.

     "How close is your coven to Amelia?" Yoongi asked, sitting down on the cot next to him.

     "I don't know, she was over fairly often, my father would always go into his office with her, I never heard what they were talking about." Sehun seemed hurt that he was used, like he was not even warned that he was a tool to spy. "Why wouldn't he tell me about this?"

     "Because they're all planning something" Seokjin leaned against the counter, filling them in on what the hybrid had told him. Sehun didn't say much after that, he was a little too pissed off.

     "Why did we let him leave with that book?" Yoongi punched the wall, putting a fist-size hole into the plaster, he then leaned his head against the wall, calming himself down.

     "I'm gonna go see Namjoon, think I should fill him in on what's going on." Seokjin put his hand on Yoongi's shoulder, "We'll take care of this."

 

     Yoongi found himself in the gazebo, hoping to run into Taehyung since he seemed to spend a lot of his time here trying to harvest his plants before the frost came.

     "He went to bed, you really think he'd be out here at 10 picking plants?" Jimin was staring at a spider that was crawling around his hand.

     "It's quiet here." Yoongi sat down on the wall, watching Jimin. "What's it to you?"

     "You claim to like Taehyung but somehow always manage to hurt him." Jimin held up his other hand so the spider would climb on to it.

     "Didn't know it was your business." Yoongi knew Jimin was trying to intimidate him with the eight-legged arachnid, but he wasn't afraid of bugs.

     "He's my brother, of course it's my business." Jimin set the spider down on the wall, "Stop fucking playing with him, find someone else to move on with."

     Yoongi laughed to himself, "Is this the part that I'm supposed to be scared and cower to you?"

     "I don't think Tae's feelings are a joke, he's in love with you and we both know it's one-sided. It's not even a ridiculous request, just stay away from him, let him get over you." Jimin stammered out.

     Yoongi wanted to grab this kid up and punch him straight in his nose, "Or what, Jimin? What are you gonna do?"

     Jimin let out a pissed off laugh, his tongue pushing out through his cheek, he shook his head, "I'm sure you're going to take this as a challenge, fucking selfish asshole."

     "I feel like you wanna hit me right now," Yoongi smirked, cocky.

     "You're bad for him, just lay off-" Jimin wasn't going to take the bait and resort to violence.

     "Yeah, well at least I didn't kill him." Yoongi stood and walked over to Jimin, eyebrows raised, challenging him. "Or is that okay in your book?" _Check and mate._ Yoongi bumped Jimin's shoulder as he sauntered off, a little too pleased with himself.

     Jimin was furious. _You wanna be a dick about this, eh? Watch what happens next then._

 

* * *

I figured the Seokjin/Yoongi thing was never really finished because no one ever talked about it, so I ended it here, once and for all. =]  Hope ya like!     

     

     


	55. BONUS 5 Username unknown

     Seokjin paced the library floor, mulling over what the general had told him a few days ago. The masses still think Seokjin is going to turn the world upside down with a shit storm of heinous doings and Jungkook is somehow going to ride in like a white night (or wolf in his case) and save everyone from him. He was growing tired of being thought of in this manner, he wanted to be a badass, not an evil asshole. One mistake should not dictate the entire existence of a person. Had he not proven his worth millions of times over? No, being thought of as a tyrant would not do,  he was going to prove to everyone just how wrong they were.

     "Thinking too much causes wrinkles." Yoongi set a folder down on the table and pulled out the chair to sit.

     Seokjin stopped pacing to stare at it, "What's that?"

     "Everything you asked Jimin to look into about Amelia-" He leaned back in the chair.

     "How the hell?"

     "It  doesn't matter how...what I wanna know is why?" Yoongi was livid. "I told you to stay out of it."

     "Bros have each other's backs." Seokjin wasn't about to apologize for looking out for his best friend.

     "I don't want your help." Yoongi looked down at the folder, contemplating on whether he should tear it up in front of Seokjin to make a point.

     "I think you're in over your head," Seokjin stated, but he just didn't think it, he _knew_ it.

     "It's MY problem." Yoongi stood, about to grab the folder when Seokjin snatched it away.

     "Why are you being such a dick about this?"

     "It's better this way, trust me."

     "After what I heard and what my father is up to, I think it's better if we stick together." Seokjin couldn't let Yoongi's pride cost him his life.

    "I appreciate it Seokjin, but please, just back off." Yoongi walked off before Seokjin could respond, he almost felt bad for interfering but he knew it's what Yoongi would do in the same situation, best friends had each other's backs and that was that!

 

     Yoongi searched out Taehyung, he finally found him in the gardens, Taehyung was none too happy to see him.

    "No generals to chase down today?" Taehyung didn't bother to turn around as he raked out the dead leaves from his dying plants.

    "I'm not here to seduce you." Yoongi leaned against the stone wall, Taehyung glanced over at him, the elder looked sullen.

     "What happened?" Taehyung straightened up and turned to him, wiping sweat from his brow.

     "Life." Yoongi sighed, he wasn't sure if he should bother Taehyung with this, but other than Seokjin, he was the only person Yoongi fully trusted. "I'm sorry, I'll leave you to your raking." Yoongi was about to walk off when Taehyung spoke, stopping him.

     "Worried about what Jihoon has planned?" Taehyung had never seen Yoongi in this state, he figured pushing him away would just do more harm.

     "He's family and he outright betrayed my trust." Yoongi felt like punching the wall, he didn't think his cousin was this manipulating.

     "Power corrupts." Taehyung shrugged, trying not to sound too cliche.

    "I don't know what I'm doing Taehyung, but I have to do something."

     "Do you think they'd accept you back?"

     "I don't know, there are special clauses for this type of thing, but Jihoon is also blood to my father, so he has a rightful claim to the throne."

      "But he's using it to defy the laws and rewrite everything to meet with Amelia's whims-"

     "A majority of the elders are in agreement, they think the newer laws have made the vampires soft." Yoongi shook his head in disbelief, how could he be related to such animals?

      "So what's a journey without a few bumps?" Taehyung proclaimed, his words of wisdom made him cringe, but Yoongi smirked.

     "No, you're right." A light came on in Yoongi's eyes. "You're a genius."

      Taehyung smiled, proud of himself for helping to lift Yoongi's spirits, even if it was the most cheesy and vague advice he'd ever given. "We're all here to help you too, don't forget that."

     Yoongi realized he'd been too harsh on Seokjin, but that was for personal reasons, he wanted to distance himself a bit from the guy to make life easier as if that were possible. He looked straight into Taehyung's soul as their eyes locked. "Taehyung-"

    "I should get back to the weeding, I still have plants to move inside for the winter." Taehyung turned back to rake.

     "I just wanted to say...thanks." Yoongi decided now wasn't the time to get into a big long thing about how sorry he was for being such a dick to Taehyung and for using him when it suited him. He'd save that conversation for a better day. Taehyung watched him walk off and smirked to himself, he wasn't going to make this easy for Yoongi..but he did plan to give him a second chance, after all, the heart chooses to love who it wants to, for whatever reason.

 

     Jimin was sitting at the table in the library, his laptop was open propped up on a small stack of books surrounded by even larger stacks of books, several of which were opened and turned to pages displaying magnificent beasts. Abram was on a Skype call with him and they were going over a whole host of problems together, between the whole Amelia thing, Yoosun, and the Generals - they had been online for almost two hours now mulling over ideas and strategies and trying to figure out motives.

     "That's it, all I have at the moment." Abram took off his glasses, "If you don't have anything else to discuss, I'll be turning in for the night."

     "No, I'm good, thanks, Abram. Get some sleep." Jimin bowed his head and then ended the skype call. He yawned and reached out to shut his laptop when a message popped up.

     **USERNAME UNKNOWN:** I heard you're looking for information on Yoosun.

     Jimin stared at the words, brows furrowed, wondering who the hell this way and how they hacked his skype.

    **JIMIN 1:** Who is this?

     **USERNAME UNKNOWN** : An ally. I think we can help each other out.

     **JIMIN 1:** Taehyung, this isn't funny. STOP.

     Jimin popped up a program on his desktop and typed in some keystrokes, he wanted to find out where Taehyung was pulling the prank from so he could go scare the shit out of him. The source was coming from an unknown location somewhere in Australia. He knew his brother didn't know how to use a proxy to hide his identity so this was legit, someone else. He decided to play along. 

    **USERNAME UNKNOWN** **:** I'm not your brother but since you just ran a trace on me, you know that.

     **JIMIN 1:** What do you want?

    **USERNAME UNKNOWN:** I'll contact you soon, we need to talk. I believe we can be mutually beneficial to each other.

 

     Before Jimin could type anything else, the person logged out. Who the hell could it be? Taehyung came into the library humming and Jimin hadn't even noticed. Taehyung stopped and stared at his brother.

     "Dude, it's snowing outside..everything is frozen, it's nuts." Taehyung joked.

    "Is Elsa on the loose?" Jimin smirked, he wasn't that out of it. "Oh, leave Halloween open, Harley wants to throw a party-"

     "Good idea, murderous people in masks at our home.." Taehyung grimaced and Jimin smacked his arm.

     "It would be good to get the packs together, promote brotherhood."

     "And invite all our enemies in at the same time."

     "Come on, give her more credit." Jimin stood and packed his laptop into his backpack, "Invitation only. This place can use some livening up."

     "What did Namjoon say?" Taehyung balanced a book on his nose, staring sideways at Jimin.

     "He's all for it." Jimin slung the backpack over his shoulder, "I'm taking Harley to dinner, see ya later."

     Taehyung caught the book as it was about to hit the table, "See Ya bro." He watched Jimin walk out and sighed. He was bored and hoping his brother would provide some entertainment for a change. He disliked how when Jimin got a girlfriend, he always took a back burner to them. Jungkook walked in and stopped.

     "Been looking all over for you-"

     "Why, what happened now?" Taehyung threw the book down behind him and stood, walking to Jungkook.

      "Nothing happened, I'm bored. Wanna do something?" Jungkook asked.

      "Where's Seokjin?" Taehyung was perplexed, _Oh god, not with Yoongi again?_

      "Probably don't have to tell you." Jungkook frowned, "Out general hunting."

      "So why didn't you go?" Taehyung wrapped his arm around the younger's shoulder and they started heading out of the library.

     Jungkook shrugged, "Didn't want to."

     "Fair enough." Taehyung didn't need any convincing, he would go cow-tipping at the moment if it meant getting the hell out of the house. He grabbed his coat from the stair railing and slipped it on, "Let's go."

      

     Yoongi and Seokjin weren't general hunting, Yoongi just wanted to get intoxicated. 300% Shit-faced, puking his guts up, not remembering anything the whole next day drunk. He contemplated inviting Sehun, but he just wasn't as fun.

      "This isn't how you avoid someone." Seokjin held up his drink to toast Yoongi's abnormal thinking.

     "I don't give a shit." Yoongi clanked glasses with Seokjin and drank down his shot, slamming it on the bar and pinching the bridge of his nose. 

      "What are we drinking to?" Seokjin held up his glass to signal the bartender that they needed refills, but he just seemed to not want to turn their way.

     "We are drinking to the systematic downfall of all romantic relationships present and future." Yoongi reached over the bar and grabbed a bottle of gin and poured himself and Seokjin a shot glass full, then threw down a hundred dollar bill, drank down his drink, grabbed the bottle and his coat and headed out the door in one fell swoop. Seokjin quick drank down his glass and grabbed his own coat, sprinting out the door to catch up to Yoongi who was half way down the boardwalk.

      "Things with Tae not going so great?"

     "Things with Tae are exactly as I'd expect." Yoongi drank a gulp and held the bottle out to Seokjin.

     "Jungkook is not gonna give me another chance, I shouldn't be lying to him." Seokjin took a few sips.

     "Jungkook will give you 50 more chances, let's be real..you guys are bound together for eternity." Yoongi snatched the bottles back and took a long sip.

     "We should at least discuss strategy-"

     "Fuck business, loosen up." Yoongi chastised him, jumping the railing and landing in the sand.

     "I sense there are much deeper issues going on in your brain right now." Seokjin hopped the railing, falling on his butt when he hit the sandy earth below. Yoongi laughed and held out his hand. "No, I'm comfy." Seokjin grinned, shaking his head and ignoring Yoongi's outstretched appendage.

     Yoongi shrugged, "Suit yourself." He plopped down next to him and drank a quarter of the bottle in one go.

     Seokjin yanked the bottle away, "Share."

     Yoongi was already starting to feel the effects of the alcohol in his blood, he threw his head back and screamed out. "Amelia and Jihoon fucked me." He shook his head in disbelief, "How did I not see that coming?"

     "Jihoon is a bitch." Seokjin swirled the alcohol in his mouth before he swallowed it. "So let me help you."

     "Why do you want to help so bad?" Yoongi laid back in the sand, staring at the moon.

     "Several reasons, none of which I choose to get into right now. " Seokjin laid back, joining him. "Just fucking trust me."

     "The purpose of me burning my house down was to purge me of you, this is just...not healthy."

     "I don't care." Seokjin stood, took a large swig and handed the bottle down to Yoongi, then trudged off towards the shoreline. The water was cold, the spray hit his face and made him shiver as he stood just out of reach of the lapping waves. Yoongi joined him moments later, wincing at the temperature. "It's fucking cold."

     Yoongi snickered, "Wimp." He thought for a moment, probably going to regret his decision later on when he was sober, "Fine, you can help."

     Seokjin was shocked out how quickly he changed his mind. "Really?"

     "We should go do some snooping at Jihoon's place." Yoongi's expression turned evil. "You up for a little breaking and entering?"

     "You're drunk-"

     "So then, yeah?" Yoongi smirked. 

 

     Twenty-three minutes later Seokjin and Yoongi were on the roof of Jihoon's estate, staring out at the horizon. The both of them were a little more clumsy than two people who were about to commit a crime should be, stumbling about on the shingles, narrowly escaping falling off several times. The house was dark, so Jihoon was either sleeping or not home. Yoongi decided if he was sleeping at 9 AM then he really just needed to bust through his door and smack the shit out of him..no bad guy should be asleep before midnight.

     "So, how we getting inside?" Seokjin figured Yoongi would have changed his mind and said screw it by now.

    "Chimney, tell him Ho Ho Ho like Santa Claus." Yoongi quipped.

     Seokjin burst out laughing, almost slipping, but Yoongi grabbed his arm. Seokjin stared down at the ground, "Come on, let's go in the basement like normal people."

     Seokjin pushed open the basement window, to their delight, it wasn't locked. They both slipped through, landing on the hard concrete of the dark basement, only lit by a small digital wall clock on the far wall. Yoongi scanned the room, not much was down here, just the washer and dryer, some laundry, and miscellaneous boxes.

     "Is he a minimalist like you?" Seokjin snorted, seeing Yoongi's glowing eyes blink several times, offended.

     "Where do you suppose the little weasel hides his files?" Yoongi sauntered over to the stairs, climbing half way up before Seokjin joined him.

      "A vault in his burrow." Seokjin was serious, but it cracked Yoongi up, which in turn made Seokjin giggle.

 

      Jihoon's living room was revolting as far as Yoongi was concerned, a 70s ski lodge came to mind, with it's paisley brown and mustard yellow curtains, it's velour orange couch and loveseat and the ugliest, fluffiest rug anyone ever bought in the most hideous shit-brown color Yoongi had ever seen. It looked like - "Baby Poop." Yoongi's mouth was agape as he looked around in disbelief, "What the fuck?"

     "Does he live with his mother?" Seokjin bumped into him when Yoongi stopped to stare at the painting above the log fireplace.

     "No, maybe he should." Yoongi turned his head to the side, he couldn't figure out which end was up and which was down - the abstract painting of Jihoon was..unique. _Bizarre._ His face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't get it."

     "Come on, we don't have time to figure out his art taste." Seokjin walked into the hallway, taking out his phone, he flipped on the flashlight and headed down the hall to a doorway. He turned the handle but it was locked. Yoongi joined him, about to bust it down when Seokjin subdued him. "Are you crazy?" He took out a pocket knife and bent down to get a better look. After a moment, the lock clicked and he turned the handle, looking at Yoongi as he stood up.

     "You've been hanging out with Hoseok?" Yoongi felt the wall for a switch and flicked on the light, it was a game room. The Heads of various creatures lined the wall on plaques like grotesque trophies, but not of animals, these were heads of supernatural beings - a werewolf, an onyx, a female pixie, and two very human-looking wendigos.

     "My god, the dude is sicker than I thought." Seokjin was disturbed and it took a lot to make him questions life. He walked along the wall, reading the names and dates below each of them. The last plaque was bare, and under it, written on a bright gold plate with engraved raised lettering was the name Seokjin - species: hybrid. Seokjin pointed to it, unable to speak- "He, he has-"

    Yoongi pulled him away, "He's had that for ages, don't pay it no mind." 

     "What do you mean had that for ages? Why is this a thing?" Seokjin whined.

     "Your head is a prize, how does that surprise you?" Yoongi stopped at the pool table, eyeing it with a bad taste in his mouth.

     "If I ever lose my head, promise me this asshat won't get it..even if he is the one that kills me." Seokjin pouted and Yoongi snickered.

      Yoongi ran his hand along the smooth felt of the pool table, admiring the unusual red color, this used to in his father's home.  "He doesn't even play this." Yoongi shook his head, seeing this here made him angry and reminded just how much he played into their plan. "Come on, it's not here."

     The next door was slightly open and Yoongi pushed his way in. This was it, Jihoon's office. A large mahogany desk took up the whole far wall and was just as garish as his own's father's had been, the men in his family had terrible taste. He walked over and flipped on the desk lamp and backed up, the orange glow wasn't very effective in lighting the room, but they could see the desktop was covered with folders. Seokjin searched behind the paintings for a wall safe, not like he could open it, but he was still drunk and it seemed like this was what he should be doing at the moment. Yoongi sat on the corner of the desk and picked up some of the folders. There was nothing of interest in any of them, so he pulled out the chair and sat, opening the middle drawer, but only pens and paperclips were rattling around inside, or not...he noticed an elongated black, tarnished key taped down in an obscure part towards the back. He took it out and held it up into the light, looking around the room to try to figure out what the hell it went to.

     The third picture, Seokjin found the safe. He removed the painting and sat in neatly in the chair in front of the desk. "Combination."

     "Try 22-11-20." Yoongi kidded, but it worked, Seokjin clicked it open. 

     "How the hell did you know that?"

     "He's a little narcissist. His birthday and age, probably has the last number changed once a year." Yoongi tried the key in the bottom locked drawer but it wouldn't fit. He huffed.

     There was nothing in the safe to concern himself with, in fact, the only contents seemed to be a various assortment of childhood heirlooms. He shut it again and set the picture back on it. "Where the hell does he hide the good stuff?"

     "And, what the hell does this key go to?" Yoongi held it up, perturbed.

     The sound of the front door made them both turn their heads towards the office door. "Shit," Yoongi whispered, turning off the desk lamp. He hurried to the closet door and pushed Seokjin inside and then climbed in himself, shutting it behind him.

     "This was a bad idea." Seokjin glared at Yoongi, who glanced back at him.

     "What are the odds he comes into his office closet, we'll be okay." Yoongi countered, Seokjin nodded, he was probably right. There was no noise until footsteps sounded heading up the stairs to the second floor five minutes later. "He must be going to bed."

     Seokjin nodded, just as his phone vibrated, he quickly took it out of his pocket. _Jungkook_. **Hey. Where are you right now?** lit up the message screen. Seokjin looked at Yoongi wide-eyed. Yoongi read the message and cracked a smile. Seokjin typed back - **closet.** and hit send. He was about to pocket his phone when he accidently dropped it, slipping out of his sweaty fingers. Yoongi bent down to retrieve it when he noticed a small cutout door in the back part of the closet. A keyhole smack dab in the middle. He took out the key he had pocketed and looked at it.

     "No way." Seokjin snatched his phone and bent down as Yoongi inserted the key and turned the lock. It opened. He pushed the little door open revealing a narrow niche, inside was a small hardwood chest. Yoongi dragged it out and popped the latch. Seokjin shined his phone flashlight down as Yoongi opened the creaking top - inside were several thick folders, a laptop, some sinister-looking trinkets and a rather old leather briefcase. "You think we can get this outside?"

     Yoongi smiled, "Yeah. As long as Jihoon doesn't come downstairs."

     Seokjin's phone vibrated again. **What?** Jungkook had sent back. **I'll** **explain w** **hen I get home. You'll shit bricks.** He hit send and pocketed his phone.

     "I'd say this makes up for lying to him." Yoongi peeked out of the closet, making sure Jihoon hadn't come in, but the room was empty and dark. He exited the closet and turned back to grab the chest, it was only about 2 feet by 2 feet, so it would be easy to carry if the two of them worked together. Seokjin went and peered out of the office, checking both ways down the hallway, but it was just as dark as the rest of the house.

     "Do you remember how to get back to the basement?"

     "We can just go out the front door." Yoongi shot him a 'you are a dumbass' look and Seokjin grimaced. "I think I must suggest at the council meeting that Jihoon invest in a damn security system."

     Seokjin chuckled as he grabbed the one end and Yoongi the other, they lifted it up and made a bee-line out of the office and straight towards the front door. Yoongi nearly tripped when Seokjin stopped to grab the handle to open the door and they both giggled.

     "Amelia, is that you?" Jihoon called from atop the stairs and they both froze. A knock sounded on the front door and Seokjin quickly removed his hand from the doorknob. Jihoon began to descend the stairs and Yoongi and Seokjin quick ducked inside the room directly to their right, stashing the chest against the wall and hiding behind the door.

     "My husband will be home soon, we need to make this quick." Amelia's voice carried through the foyer with an echo. Yoongi and Seokjin exchanged glances. Were Jihoon and Amelia having an affair?

     "I don't do quick, Amelia. Just divorce the bastard already." Jihoon answered and Yoongi rolled his eyes.

     The two of them cringed the moment they heard the smacking of lips and saliva being exchanged. This was a little too obscene, Seokjin's face contorted into disgust.

     "As soon as we succeed I can kill him, collect the money and claim my own little slice of pie." She cackled and the sound of two sets of feet heading up the stairs signaled to them they needed to get the hell out of here quick.

 

     Yoongi and Seokjin slammed the chest up on the lab table and stepped back. Jungkook and Taehyung looked at it and then at Yoongi and Seokjin who were both still a bit drunk, smirking like a couple of kids that just got away with the heist of the century.

     "The fuck is this?" Jungkook asked, wondering if he should make a fuss over the fact that they were obviously intoxicated.

     "Jihoon's prized possessions," Seokjin popped the chest open. "We think."

     "You stole this from Jihoon?" Taehyung didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified.

     "Where's Jimin?" Yoongi grabbed the laptop from the chest and thrust it into Taehyung's arms. "Going to need him to take a look at this, time is probably important, whatever is in here is probably bad and sensitive and easily covered up if not handled quickly."

     Taehyung exhaled and took out his phone and texted Jimin as he looked in the chest and took out the folders inside. He leaned against the counter and opened the first folder, inside were detailed schematics of several facilities, one titled 'Iceland'. "Iceland?"

     Jungkook grabbed a folder from him and leaned next to him, scouring through the first few pages, "Kill sheets. How to effectively subdue and kill each species in the least time possible."

     "Weasel's been doing his homework." Seokjin was not surprised. "The vampires aren't in any immediate danger from the other species, so why does he need this?"

     "Well you know, not unless he's planning something so devastating that soon there will be a need to protect himself." Yoongi was exasperated. If Jihoon did something terrible, it would be his fault.

     Seokjin also felt like this was partially his fault because he let Yoosun leave with a book that would be the root of many catastrophes to come. "We can't let Yoosun help them."

     "Just add it to the ever expanding list of things we need to stop." Taehyung looked towards the door as Jimin came through.

     "So where is this laptop?" He yawned, not happy about having been called out of his warm bed. Taehyung held it out and Jimin grabbed it, "I'll need some time, how quick do you need this?"

     "We have no way of knowing, Jihoon could go looking for it five minutes from now-" Seokjin started.

    "No, no, he said he doesn't do quickies." Yoongi corrected him.    

     "Ha, yeah, now or two weeks from  now, no clue." Seokjin thumped against the counter, the weight of the world resting on his shoulders all of a sudden.

     "You okay?" Jungkook leaned in. Seokjin looked up at him.

     "I love you." Seokjin planted a kiss on the younger's lips and nodded. "I'm going for a walk, wanna come?"

     Jungkook nodded.

 

     Seokjin settled down on the roof next to Jungkook, leaning his head on the younger's shoulder. Jungkook was worried about him.

     "I know you lied, but I'm not going to ask why." Jungkook took the elder's hand in his own. "I have a feeling Yoongi needed you tonight."

     Seokjin felt even more like shit, "Sometimes I wish I didn't have any family, at least not Yoosun" He scoffed, smirking, "My dad, your dad, Jihoon, Amelia..I just don't get why it's so important that everyone destroy each other."

     "This is something I wonder on a daily basis."

      There was an awkward silence, Seokjin was overtaken by a sense of regret, "I'm sorry, I went out with intent to hunt, but Yoongi wanted to get drinks..." Seokjin felt guilty. "I lied to you."

     Jungkook didn't really want to think about that, he would get mad and just say something he didn't mean. "Taehyung wants to give him another chance."

     Seokjin perked up, staring up at Jungkook, "For real?"

     "Yeah, he's just not gonna make it easy."

     "Yoongi likes a challenge, so it will probably be better that way."

     Jungkook smirked, "You lie to me again and I swear to the gods, I am going to forget you exist."

     Seokjin leaned up on his arms and looked straight into Jungkook's eyes, "I hope not."

     Jungkook couldn't resist the way the moonlight was shining down on the elder's face, something in him melted. He leaned in and kissed Seokjin. He tasted of alcohol, but he didn't care, he wrapped his hand around the back of the elder's neck and pulled him on top of him. He wanted Seokjin, right here, right now. He didn't care how cold it was or that they could roll off the roof, he just wanted to be inside his lover.

     "Here?" Seokjin smiled.

     Jungkook nodded and pulled him back down, kissing his lips, breathing him in.

     "We're going to freeze-"

     "So?" Jungkook rolled over so he was on top and pinned Seokjin down.

     "No lube-"

     "Spit." Jungkook smirked, "Just shut up."

    Seokjin pulled Jungkook's hoody over his head and threw it across the roof, it fell over the side. Below Taehyung looked up, two more shirts and a pair of pants rained down on him.

     He looked up at the roof. "What the hell?"

     Yoongi joined him on the back patio, staring at the clothing scattered on the stones. "Someone's having a good time."

     Taehyung jumped, not noticing Yoongi had joined him. "Yoongi-"

     Yoongi smirked, "Sorry." He zipped up his pullover and leaned against the wall, staring at Taehyung. 

     

     The spit was rougher than lube, but Seokjin could bear the pain, he was more concentrated on the look in Jungkook's eyes, the younger staring through him, he could see the love etched on his face..Jungkook really did love him..and not only that, he desired him. Jungkook hurried the pace, checking to make sure Seokjin was okay.

     "Are you okay?" Jungkook pushed up in him and Seokjin closed his eyes, moaning out.

     "I-I'm good." Seokjin closed his eyes, moving along to the rhythm Jungkook had set, he swore the younger was bigger than the last time they made love. They stared into each other's eyes, the cold was beginning to freeze Jungkook's bare ass, but he didn't care, the warmth he felt inside Seokjin was enough to keep him happy.

     He kissed Seokjin again, his lips stopped the chattering of the elder's teeth. The roof shingles were cold. "Sorry."

     Jungkook smiled. "I love you."

     Seokjin moaned out and Jungkook's heart sped up. Something about the way that the elder exhaled out an 'oh' sent chills through Jungkook's soul. Seokjin was always so vocal, whereas he was much more quiet. Every deepened breath Seokjin let out powered the younger, it was the sound of an erotic orchestra playing in his ears.

     "Kookie.." Seokjin practically wailed, Jungkook closed his eyes, his heart threatening to escape his chest cavity.

 

     "I wish they wouldn't be so damn loud." Yoongi scrunched up his nose, raising his voice slightly. He remembered all too well how noisy Seokjin could be, and it wasn't doing much for the stiffy that took residence in his pants.

     "You don't have to stay out here." Taehyung was enjoying Yoongi's suffering.

     "I wanted to talk to you." Yoongi did his best to drown out the 'Oh's' and 'Mm's' that bore through his brain.

     "You want to do more than that now." Taehyung knew Yoongi was horny.

     "I'll be okay." Yoongi wasn't going to push it, he was determined to win Taehyung's affections and staying abstinent until the time was right. Of course, it Taehyung offered, he wouldn't turn him down.

 

     Seokjin climbed into bed next to Jungkook, pulling the covers up over them and cuddling, trying to warm the parts of their bodies that were nearly frostbitten. Seokjin put his cold feet on the younger and Jungkook yelled out. He laughed, closing his eyes, settling into the crook of the younger's neck.

     "Sweet dreams." Jungkook yawned, clasping hands with Seokjin.

     They both drifted off quickly.

 

* * *

This chapter slightly differs from the AFF one - because the username unknown is replaced by a code that lets the reader see their own screen name..and I couldn't do that here, so it has to stay username unknown.

 


	56. BONUS 6 Crossroads

      Seokjin knew he had to get serious about hunting the generals, each day they were free, they had more time to mount their opposition and strengthen their defenses, every minute he wasn't out there hunting them, the more dangerous they became. He just couldn't get his mind off what Yoosun was up to, and Yoosun _needed_ Seokjin to be distracted by hunting them to carry out whatever sinister plans he had, namely making Jihoon some sort of omnipotent being and resurrecting Cato so he could suck the life out of him. He was at a crossroads, and it didn't look like either direction he took would be a good one.

     Yoongi walked into the library and sat down, followed by Taehyung and Jimin. Seokjin looked over at them, perplexed by the sudden intrusion.

     "Pack meeting." Jimin seemed to sense the confusion in Seokjin's brain, he set his bag down and pulled out his seat.

     "About?" Seokjin joined them at the table as the brothers took their seats across from each other, Taehyung settling next to Yoongi.

     "Strategy," Taehyung smirked. "Where's Jungkook?"

     "Working out." Seokjin pulled out a chair and slumped down.

     Namjoon and Harley walked into together, followed by a freshly showered Jungkook. Seokjin smiled as the younger sat down next to him and planted a kiss on his lips. Hoseok walked in seconds later, wiping his hands on his filthy apron tarnished with black and red stains, Seokjin didn't know if the stains were another Charlie meeting his demise or he had been making lunch, he decided it was best not to know. Jimin took out Jihoon's laptop and set it down in the middle of the table as they all took seats.

     "We have some issues we need to talk through." Namjoon's tone was serious, which did nothing to ease Seokjin's nerves. "Jimin has found some things-"

     "What's he planning?" Yoongi interrupted, sitting up, his eyes boring into Jimin.

     "He's a bit sloppy, probably didn't think anyone would find, let alone steal his laptop." Jimin's face was grim. "We think Yoosun is planning to use an extremely powerful dark spell called sanguinem et virtute, rough translation is the power of blood, the only place you can find it is in the grimoire."

     "It's important we get that back asap." Namjoon glanced at Seokjin, who just nodded in agreement.

      "All of this is off facebook messages they had-" Taehyung started.

      "I don't picture Yoosun on facebook." Jungkook quipped. "Thumbs up to all the dark lord posts."

     Seokjin stifled a laugh, the rest of them just looked at him like he was insane.

     "The spell is a form of blood lust, except it doesn't turn a vampire into a blood sucking death trap, it harnesses the victim's blood into power." Taehyung informed them. "The more victims Jihoon claims, the more powerful he becomes."

     "Kind of like how an onyx can take powers." Jimin added.

     "Somehow Yoosun's grandmother knew how to rewrite the laws of magic and she wasn't the only one, there were four of them total-"

     "Hence the four spellbooks." Jimin threw in again.

     "Four of what?" Harley asked, Taehyung looked at all their faces, realizing they probably had no clue what he was talking about.

     "Four Apostles of Magic, of which the goddess of magic herself is a part of, or at least was. She disbanded the group and had placed a spell on her book making it unable to be read. It now sits in the god realm," Taehyung huffed.

     "A grim part of their history." Jimin interjected.

    "The grimoire Yoosun has is like an abomination, the goddess forbid any of the spellbooks to remain, but somehow this one book was kept active.."

     "So in other words, I come from a long line of power hungry rule breakers." Seokjin sighed.

     "In short, yeah." Jimin nodded.

     "According to Abram, the spell he used to escape dying that day by Jacker, was in that book." Taehyung pointed out. "He was in contact with Misae more than he lead on."

     "That doesn't even surprise me anymore." Seokjin shook his head. "I don't believe anything that comes out of his mouth."

     "Abram was able to trace your family genealogy with the help of Skotadi," Namjoon threw a file down on the table in front of Seokjin, ignoring the 'WTF' looks everyone but Taehyung were giving him. "Why he's being helpful, I shudder to think."

     "Skotadi chose this woman to birth his child for a reason," Taehyung speculated, "Shortly after she gave birth to Cato she went and got herself banished, Abram thought it might be because she kept practicing with that spellbook and got caught."

     Seokjin stared at the folder a moment before he reached out and opened it, "What does it matter if I know her name, what it comes down to is I need to stop him."

     "Seokjin, Seong Kang, you don't recall that name?" Namjoon asked him, but he shook his head, he had no clue what Namjoon was talking about. "She was your high school science teacher."

     "She's still alive?" Jungkook gasped, "I thought witches didn't live that long."

     "She was 156 when she died." Namjoon informed him, then turned his attention back to Seokjin. "She must have been keeping her eye on you."

     "Why?" Seokjin leaned up and pushed the folder back.

     "I don't know that." Namjoon took a deep breath, "Do you remember her?"

     Seokjin shrugged,  "She was always inquiring about my father," He scoffed, "Now I know why."

     "What was she asking?" Hoseok's curiosity peaked.

     "She wanted a conference, it never made sense to me, I did great in that class, but somehow I was always failing..I questioned her about it and she told me she would need to see my father-"

     "Did he ever go?" Namjoon asked.

     "No, he flat out refused, told me to do better and left it at that." Seokjin looked over at Namjoon, "If she was his grandmother, why didn't she just go see him?"

     "Thing is, coming back after being banished from the world is near impossible without the consent of a god or with a very advanced dark magic spell, she found a way to come back partially, but she needed Yoosun to acknowledge her for her to gain her powers back." Taehyung informed them, "He most likely had a spell placed on his home and she couldn't get through."

     "How the hell do you come back partially?" Seokjin was getting angry.

     "Like the spell that Yoosun plans to perform to bring Cato back?" Yoongi asked.

      "Close." Taehyung raised his eyebrows, staring up at Hoseok. "Care to explain?"

     "Sometimes when a witch is that powerful, she can project her spirit into a human, kind of like a possession-" Hoseok filled him in on the sordid workings of the witch world. "Only being able to become whole again if a blood sacrifice is made, so Yoosun would have needed to give his blood to do to the spell."

     "So why didn't she use my blood?" Seokjin wondered.

     "You're not magical, you can't say incantations and bring people back, she would have needed him." Hoseok was perplexed, "But it makes no sense as to why he wouldn't join forces with her."

     "Because Yoosun is a selfish prick, he doesn't want to share his powers or his glory." Seokjin frowned. "That's pretty obvious."

    Hoseok was offended- first, because Seokjin mocked him and second because he hadn't worked that out himself.

     "He must have known she didn't have the grimoire, so he didn't care, she was useless to him." Seokjin rubbed his temples, his head felt like it was splitting in two. "Meanwhile, any clue where Yoosun could be hiding?" Seokjin asked, impatience furrowing his brow.

     "That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Namjoon took a deep breath, he didn't like having to suggest this, "I would like for Hoseok to read you, we might be able to access some repressed memories, maybe give us an idea of where he might be."

     Seokjin looked down, uneasy. "Sure."

     "Now, if you're not busy." Namjoon threw in.

     Seokjin took a deep breath, standing. "Let's just get it over with."

     Namjoon stood and looked to the rest of them, "We'll continue the meeting afterward."

 

     The lab table felt cold against Seokjin's back, he squirmed for a moment trying to get comfortable but gave up realizing it was probably his nerves and not the temperature. He turned to watch as Hoseok cracked his neck, Hoseok who looked just as uneasy about this as he did. The thought of having Hoseok poke around in his mind, lurking in the murky depths of his brain, scared the hell out of him. He didn't know what mess Cato had left behind, what if something sinister was buried within him? What if Hoseok awakened some depraved version of himself?

     Jungkook sat down on the counter behind Seokjin's head, looking down at him, worried. He didn't know who was more anxious, him or the elder.

     "Don't worry, he's never killed anyone doing this." Jungkook kidded, noticing Seokjin's face now wore a scornful grimace. Jungkook shrugged, maybe this wasn't the best time to joke around. "Nevermind."

     Namjoon walked in and nodded to Hoseok, consenting for him to start.

     "Ready whenever you are." Seokjin took a deep breath, adjusting his body slightly as he closed his eyes.

     Hoseok gazed down at him, dreading being inside Seokjin's brain, who knew what he would find in there. He wearily put his hands over Seokjin's eyes and closed his own. The familiar tunnel vision made Seokjin dizzy, speeding through the blurry lights that shot towards him was uncomfortable, he tensed up.

     "Relax your mind, Seokjin." Hoseok warned.

     "You're inside my head, that's not relaxing." Seokjin jibbed.

     "Don't talk." Hoseok chastized, about to pull his hands away. He was afraid Seokjin's inability to relax might cause the issue of their minds getting melded together, but he cleared his throat and continued on against his better judgment. Seokjin's mind was like weaving your way around in an enormous, dense spider web, layers upon layers of suppressed memories crowding his psyche, swirling about like a tornado. "Shit, it's like a maze in here."

     "Can you see anything?" Namjoon inquired.

      "Time to delve down deep," Hoseok smirked. It took several minutes for him to figure out which clump of the web he should try to push through. It wasn't long before Hoseok started to make sense of the pictures in his head, he found Seokjin's early memories stored in a tight little corner, stagnant. Usually, memories came about in chronological order, but it seemed like everything inside his head was scattered. Cato's presence had left an imprint, he could see things that happened in Cato's life twisted about with Seokjin's. This was a mess. "Cato left a trace."

      "How much of a trace?" Namjoon inquired, hoping there wouldn't be any irrevocable damage.

     "I dunno yet, some random memories." Hoseok took a deep breath, gasping suddenly as a force sucked him through a dark passage, images whirring past him as he sailed through the haze that surrounded him. A flickering blue light came into focus moments later, growing brighter the closer he got to the end. A sonic boom vibrated the air around him and Hoseok found himself in the middle of a royal blue, tiled room; floor to ceiling covered with an obscene amount of tiny little fleshy growths that resembled scales. It reminded him of the inside of a whale, not that he had ever been in one before. Water was pooling on the ground into tiny puddles at his feet as he stepped down, only to evaporate again when he raised his foot. It was peculiar, he couldn't imagine what this place was..it looked like an underwater room you would see in some strange children's story. He half-expected a sea monster to pop up in the corner and offer him some sage advice....or swallow him whole. This couldn't be an actual memory.

     "It's a metaphor, his mind is full of this shit." A husky voice sounded, alarming Hoseok. He turned around in a circle but there was no one present, just the echoing plinks of water drops hitting a puddle. "You can't see me, so don't dare try."

     "Who are you?" Hoseok's voice cracked. "A metaphor for what?"

     "He's troubled. He's somewhere between wanting to destroy everything and wanting to save humanity from the torture that is the supernatural."

     "Okay?"

     "If you're trying to find the Yoosun memories, you're looking in the wrong spot." The voice cackled, deranged.

    "I'll keep that in mind," Hoseok smirked, closing his eyes, he was flying back through a black void, stopping abruptly when he reached a cramped brick room about the size of a coat closet, the room came into focus as color flooded the black and white vision. Words covered the walls, short insults like 'stupid' and commands like 'control' repeated in different shades of black and red. A kid was crouched in the corner bound by chains latched to the wall, his long black hair covered his face but Hoseok could see lacerations on the kid's hands and scratch marks where something had gouged grooves into the wall. Hoseok turned quick as a man dressed in doctor garb barged through the door, holding a rather large syringe in his hand menacingly. The kid looked up and Hoseok could see it was a young Seokjin. Was this another metaphor or did Seokjin actually experience this?

     "No, I can't do it," Seokjin yelled, bringing his knees to his chest, his exhausted face scrunched up into anger.

     "You must be able to control it Seokjin, you cannot kill people, it brings too much attention to us." The doctor spoke out, staring down at him. "This is the only way, until you can do it yourself."

     "I am not going back to that asylum." Seokjin stood, eyeing the open door, seconds away from ripping out this jerk's throat and escaping into the night.

     "Then control it, use your power to keep it under control." The doctor raised his voice, sternly.

 

     Hoseok called out "Asylum." and Namjoon stood, perplexed.

     "Text Jimin to check for an asylum in Seokjin's past." Namjoon told Jungkook, standing behind Hoseok and staring down at Seokjin.

 

     Hoseok was now in a corn field, stalks of withered corn encircled him like a virus spreading throughout the field, each step he took brought on more decay, the healthy green turning to diseased brown. _Jesus, Seokjin, what the hell is going on in your brain?_ Through the sun patched path ahead there was a clearing, he could make out a ramshackle barn about 100 feet away, the peeling red paint and dilapidated doors indicating that it was in ruins, abandoned of all life.  A child's wicked laughter rung out around him, he tried to pinpoint it's source, but it was coming from every direction. He bounded forward towards the light, straight out of the corn maze, the moment his foot sunk down into the dirt - the stalks disappeared. Behind him was now a barren field; dry, dead, yellowing grass patched in dirt all around him.

      "Yoosun, wait for me" A little boy's voice called out and Hoseok turned to witness Yoosun run past him, his laugh echoing through the unnerving silence. He couldn't be more than 10 years old, he was being followed by a younger boy trying his best to keep up with his much faster companion.

     "Learn to run faster jerk, you're just slowing me down." Yoosun called behind him, smirking rather evilly. 

     Hoseok turned and began to trot after them, past the barn and through an eery forest that seemed to sprout up before his eyes. They ran for a good five minutes before Yoosun stopped in front of a cliff, looking down at a waterfall that emptied into a rapid churning river below. He looked behind him as the boy finally caught up and stopped just short of tumbling over the side, some rock fragments let loose from the cliffside and plunked into the water.

     "Woh." He exclaimed, clutching his hand to his chest.

     "You are such an imbecile." Yoosun shook his head, "I can't believe we share the same genes."

      "Shut up Yoosun, or I'll tell Mom."

     "You'll tell Mom what?" Yoosun laughed, the nerve of his brother.

     "I'll tell her about those spells she told you not to do." The little boy smiled wide, he knew he had hit a chord when he saw Yoosun's smile fade.

     "No, you won't, you little shit." Yoosun grabbed him by his collar and shook him, "I'll pound you if you do."

     "She knows you've been doing those incantations so you can blend in with those stupid humans."

     "How would she know that?" Yoosun was teetering on disbelief.

     "I told her!" He bellowed, "You thought you could be mean to me, well I told her all about your visits to town."

     "You dumb shit, do you realize what you've done?" Yoosun began to shake him harder.

     "Stop, you're hurting me."

     "You won't be tattling anymore, do you hear me? I will hurt you." Yoosun was livid.

      "I'll tell her everything-"

     Before he could finish, Yoosun had pushed him..straight into the water. SPLASH! His little body flailed about as he tried to gain his footing, but the current was too strong, it carried him over the side, hitting several jagged rocks on the way down. Yoosun watched his brother's bloodied body float up to the top briefly before being carried back to the bottom and away down the river bend.

     "Oops." Yoosun smiled, then quickly turned his expression to faked panic..."Oh my god, Yoonoh. YOONOH."

      Hoseok was standing there, his mouth agape. He blinked several times unsure of what he just witnessed. Did Yoosun really just kill his own brother, without so much as an ounce of remorse? This _child_...just..casually murdered his flesh and blood and then smiled about it. 

    Everything went dark and the next thing Hoseok knew he was standing next to Cato, Yoosun, and his mother staring down at the drowned body of his brother deposited on the river bank, miles down from the waterfall. Hoseok backed up startled, even the memory version of Cato was jarring.

     "I told him not to play too close to the edge, I warned him." Yoosun was playing the grieving brother too well. "I couldn't grab him in time Father, I tried-"

     Yoosun's mother pulled her son in close, wiping her eyes and looking up at Cato, distraught. Cato was angry, his eyebrows creased, matching the scowl etched on his mouth. He bent down to pick up his son's body and glared at Yoosun who hid his teary face in his mother's cardigan.

     Hoseok watched them walk off, about to follow when a dark shadow appeared in front of him, he stopped short, nearly bumping into it.

     "Now you know my secret." A whispered voice gave him an eerie chill. How the hell could Yoosun speak to him? This was a memory, this wasn't possible.

    "How-" Hoseok squeaked out, Yoosun's laughter filled his ears, taunting him.

     "You are magical, yet you know nothing of the all the wonders of the darkness." Yoosun apparated before him, a full-fledged being, his blackened eyes staring into Hoseok's soul. The Yoosun that was about twenty years younger than the one he had seen at the castle of late. "It's not really me you're seeing, just a simple little relictus spell."

     "That's not simple-"

     "For me it is, you're not there yet." Yoosun mocked him. "I can't let you tell them about this Hoseok. I can't have you messing up my plans."

     "You're in the spot you killed your brother?" Hoseok managed to say out loud, Namjoon exchanged glances with Jungkook and Yoongi, who was now standing on the other side of Seokjin.

     "Brother?" Yoongi blurted out.

     "This is going to be bad, Namjoon." Hoseok yelled out. A mangling scream filled the room and they all covered their ears.

     Yoosun's gaze was locked on Hoseok, a vaporous cloud revolving around them, levitating him several feet in the air. Hoseok couldn't speak, he just made a gurgling noise with the spit that had settled in his throat. Is this what death felt like? Yoosun closed his eyes.

     "Somnum durum." Yoosun chanted several times, each time he muttered the curse, the black smoke became thicker, volatile, choking him.

     "NO." Hoseok managed to open his eyes for a brief moment, staring down at Seokjin. "Aperi oculus tuos." He managed to stammer out before he was launched backward, hitting the wall behind him so hard, he was knocked unconscious as his body slid down it and lumped into a ball on the floor. A silvery liquid mixed with the red of his blood, began to drip out of his nose, evaporating as soon as it hit the air. Namjoon quickly went over to him- 

     "Hoseok!" Namjoon's expression turned sour, he felt around for a pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he found it.

     Seokjin shot up coughing, he turned over and threw up over the side of the table, Jungkook backed up before the splash back could hit his legs. "It..it burns." Seokjin gasped, the acidic bile in his throat made him gag.

     Namjoon quickly went to Seokjin. He placed his hand over the back of Seokjin's neck, "Freg? Firgis.." He struggled with his words for a moment "...Frigus."

     A chilling sensation came over Seokjin, his face began to cool down, calming him. The words 'somnum durum' rang through his head like a blasphemous sonnet. "Somnum durum." He stammered out, grabbing his head like uttering such words brought pain upon him.

     Namjoon thought for a second. Somnum durum was a sleeping spell, a very powerful dark magic curse. "Oh shit." Namjoon realized that Hoseok wasn't just unconscious, he was in a very deep sleep riddled with nightmares, going through a deep torment in his own mind that would never cease, trapping him from waking up...the counterspell to this was..near impossible. "Jungkook, help me get him on the cot."

     Namjoon and Jungkook lifted him up on the cot and Namjoon sat down on the edge, loosening Hoseok's button-down, his skin was cold to the touch. 

     "Is he going to be okay?" Seokjin sat up, letting his feet dangle over the edge, gliding down to stand. Yoongi grabbed his shoulder before he toppled over.

     "He somehow saved your life-" Namjoon closed his eyes, "If he hadn't, you'd be stuck together right now."

     Seokjin stumbled over to Namjoon, a sudden guilt filling him with dread "How do we get him back?"

     "We need a counterist, quickly." Namjoon rose to his feet, he needed to remain calm, keep his wits about him. He had to contact Abram immediately. "I have some calls to make."

     Seokjin watched Namjoon hurry from the room and turned to Jungkook, wondering what the hell went wrong, "What happened?"

     "He said Yoosun killed his brother, but I dunno what that means." Jungkook glared down at Hoseok, his eyes were moving rapidly underneath his lids.

 

     Jimin and Taehyung were still in the library when Seokjin found them, his hardened steps thumping against the carpet announced his arrival. He was followed by Jungkook and Yoongi, their masks of gloom were enough to tell the brothers that something bad had happened.

     "What is som- somnum" Seokjin snapped his fingers, trying to recall the words.

     "Durum, somnum durum." Yoongi called out.

     "It's a sleep spell, very bad dark magic-" Taehyung looked from Yoongi to Seokjin, his face fell upon realizing that Hoseok was not with them, "Where's Hoseok?"

     Seokjin inhaled, his head was pounding." Yoo-Yoosun said it..in my head."

     "What do you mean he said it in your head?" 

     "He was able to be in my head, he said the spell and Hoseok..he...just.." Seokjin had to sit and put his head between his legs, he was about to throw up again.

     "Seokjin?" Jungkook put his hand on the elder's shoulder, Seokjin held his hand up, he needed a minute to compose himself.

     "How bad is this spell?" Yoongi inquired, suspecting by the expression on Taehyung's face that it wasn't good.

     "It doesn't just put someone to sleep, it makes them live in some sort of perpetual nightmare, I'm talking warp your mind and make you crazy kind of shit," Taehyung informed them.

     Jimin covered his mouth, "I'm going down to the lab." He closed his laptop and hurried off.

     "How could Yoosun be in Seokjin's head, able to do this?" Jungkook questioned, praying that that such a thing was possible and that somehow Seokjin wasn't responsible.

     "I don't know, maybe it wasn't Yoosun-" Taehyung was about to suggest it was Seokjin, but the elder stood quick and grabbed his shirt collar.

      "I didn't do this." Seokjin yelled, the veins in his neck popping through his skin, "Don't you fucking dare-"

     Yoongi pulled Seokjin away and Taehyung backed up, fixing his collar. "Seokjin," He got in Seokjin's face, "Chill the fuck out."

     "I didn't do that to Hoseok-"

      "I know." Yoongi believed him. Yoongi turned to Taehyung, "There has to be a spell..or something?"

     "Yeah, sure." Taehyung took a deep breath, skepticism wrinkling his brows, "I'll look." He sat and opened Jimin's laptop, Jungkook exchanged concerned glances with Yoongi and then pulled Seokjin back over to sit.

 

      The next half hour dragged on, Seokjin was laying his head in Jungkook's lap and the younger was stroking his hair, they both stared out at the horizon through the glass, lost in thought. Jimin came into the library twice asking if there was any word from Namjoon about the counterist, but there was nothing to report. It was another 15 minutes before Namjoon finally appeared.

     "What did you find out?" Seokjin asked, sitting up.

     "I have found a counterist, but he's in Japan, he won't be here until morning."

     "Why doesn't he just apparate like Sebastian did?" Jungkook asked, confused.

     "Different magic." Namjoon enlightened him.

     "Relictus, I found it." Taehyung spoke up, looking up over the top of the laptop. Everyone trained their eyes on him, eager for an explanation, "He imprinted a memory in Seokjin's brain in the event that anyone ever found that incident."

     "How?" Seokjin walked over to stand behind Taehyung and peered down at the screen, "How did he put his memory in my head?"

     "Must have when you were a child, my guess is that he had taken you to this spot at some point-" Taehyung looked up at him, "It must be important to him."

     "So, that's where he is then?"

     "Since he nearly killed you and  Hoseok to prevent him from spilling what he saw, I'd have to say yes." Taehyung concluded.

      "So we need to find out where he lived as a kid?" Jungkook looked at Namjoon, "Does anyone know that?"

     "No one even knew Yoosun had a brother, so I assume it will take some time to figure this all out." Namjoon sighed, "His magic is more advanced than we anticipated."

     "Relictus is extreme high-level shit." Taehyung glanced at Namjoon, "He'll have Cato back before we even find his hiding place-"

     "Let's hope not." Namjoon put his hands on Taehyung's shoulder and squeezed, "Let's hope Hoseok can give us more of a clue about what to look for."

     "You know what would be helpful?" Taehyung looked up at Namjoon, "A spell list, we should know what's in this book if we are going to take Yoosun down."

     "Now that's a smart request." Seokjin nodded.

     "I'll see what I can do there." Namjoon agreed, "Meanwhile, I think the generals are going on the back burner, finding Yoosun is our first priority."

 

     Jimin had fallen asleep leaning up against the cot that Hoseok was sprawled on. Hoseok was twisting and turning about as the visions of dread clouded his dreams, sweating profusely. Jungkook halted at the grim sight before him, with all that movement he wondered how Jimin managed to sleep, he leaned down and shook him gently, waking him. It was near 3 AM and Jungkook figured he would want a good night's sleep..or at the very least, a blanket.

     "Oh, hey.." Jimin stretched, watching as Jungkook sat down next to him. "What time is it?"

     "Almost 3, how's he doing?"

     "He keeps calling out in his sleep, pretty sure whatever he's dreaming about is terrifying." Jimin's grave expression was heartbreaking.

     "Have you tried talking to him, let him know you're here?"

     "I have but I dunno if this works like a coma.." Jimin was glum that he was unable to help his best friend out. "I really just want to find Yoosun and kill him."

     "Join the party." Jungkook sighed. "Seokjin feels like it's his fault."

     "We don't get to choose our family." Jimin stood, "I'm gonna go try to get some sleep, you staying?"

     "Nah, I gotta go find Seokjin, he's been out walking for the last hour." Jungkook glanced at Hoseok, "I don't think he should be out there alone right now."

     "Okay." Jimin took one good look at Hoseok, contemplating on whether it was a good idea to leave Hoseok alone. He sighed and trudged out, promising he'd be back as soon as the morning light that shined through his window woke him up.

 

      Seokjin and Yoongi were sitting on the railing of the gazebo, staring up at the night sky, the stars twinkling wildly like some sort of enchantment had been placed upon them. The loons sounded off in the distance and crickets chirped about, setting the scene. So serene for all the shit that was taking place in the world.

     "He has no morals." Yoongi reflected on the earlier events of the day, his blood pressure near the boiling point.

     "I feel like I saw it happen, but I can't remember anything." Seokjin tried for the last hour to recollect what had happened in his mind, but everything was so foggy.

     "I'm sure Abram will know someone who knows something, don't worry." Yoongi looked at Seokjin, wondering if Seokjin had the whole picture of what his childhood was filled with, "Do you remember an asylum?"

     Seokjin glared at him perplexed, "No, why?"

     "Hoseok said something about an asylum." Yoongi recalled, "I don't know what he saw though."

     "I'm sure Yoosun's childhood was filled with many asylums," Seokjin stared back at the moon, "I want to know what happened with the brother-"

     Jungkook walked up, "Hey."

     They both looked over, Seokjin's mouth turned up into a delighted little grin, happy to see the younger. "I thought you were asleep."

     "Can't sleep without you there." Jungkook sat down next to Seokjin, glancing at Yoongi. Yoongi looked back up at the sky.

     "I feel like we should just kidnap Jihoon and torture him until he spills about his plans with Yoosun-" Yoongi shook his head, "I know the little fucker is weak to pain."

     

     Seokjin was in the cemetery the next morning tearing the tombstone that bore his father's name out of the ground. He did not deserve to have this memorial to him sitting so close to his mother, the woman he caused the death of. He felt like Yoosun was lurking around in his mind and he hadn't slept much last night. He knew his tossing and turning had kept Jungkook up as well, the younger drifted off sometime about two hours ago. He decided to take a walk so that Jungkook could get some sleep, and somehow ended up here. Yoongi leaned against the gate behind him, watching him hurl the stone into the trees.

     "Mad?" Yoongi took out his sunglasses from his inside pocket and slipped them on. Seokjin glanced over at him.

     "I read the genealogy paper on my dad's side, his mother died when he was a teenager, causes unknown..and then Cato married Misae-"

     "Unknown causes sounds like another way to say, she was murdered." Yoongi speculated, fearing it was an absolute.

     "I'm thinking maybe she had a family house, her parents or..I don't know, I asked Jimin to find out." Seokjin walked over to Yoongi and leaned up against the other side of the gate. "I want to go to his estate and search the attic."

     "Bring an exorcist." Yoongi suggested and they both smiled. "I wonder when the counterist is gonna get here."

     Seokjin looked at his watch, "Namjoon said noon."  It was twenty minutes until twelve, "We should get back to the castle."

     "Do you think Cato knew his son was a psychopath and that's why he didn't pass his legacy down to him?" Yoongi asked as they began to walk.

     "It's a good theory, you and Taehyung should talk about that." Seokjin smirked slyly.

     Yoongi huffed, "I have plans for me and Taehyung, don't worry."

 

     They hiked back to the castle discussing the kind of man they thought Yoosun was and ways to banish him to the otherworld, mixed in with a few ways they'd torture him first. The moment they arrived at the front of the castle, a long black car with dark tinted windows was pulling up the driveway. The counterist was here.

 


	57. BONUS 7: The Counterist

     The Counterist stepped out of his car, looking up at the roof of the castle, studying it like it was about to come to life. Seokjin didn't think he looked like anything special, then again, he didn't really expect him to look any certain way - maybe clad more in threadbare robes and dangling medallioned symbols representing battles of will or carved with deep scars of a toiled past. One thing was for certain, he didn't look old enough to be an expert.

     Namjoon greeted him with a bow and they walked into the castle discussing the procedure and what he would need to perform it. Seokjin got an uneasy feeling about this. Yoongi hurried ahead, slipping through the opening before the door closed, leaving Seokjin alone. A crow cawed overhead and he peered up, watching as it landed on a branch staring back at him, the sound sent shivers through his body. Was this a foreshadowing of impending doom? This counterist better be able to bring Hoseok out of this nightmare.

 

    Yoongi stopped mid-foyer, as Namjoon and Yuta turned to see who had come through the door.

     "Ah good, Yoongi," Namjoon turned to Yuta, "This is..."

     "Yuta, Yuta Nakamoto." He held out his hand to Yoongi who shook it. "I knew your father."

     "That's not how you get on my good side." Yoongi started, but Yuta just smiled.

     "Hated the guy." Yuta turned to stare at the front door as it opened, Seokjin appeared and closed it behind himself, then turned to them. Yoongi already liked him, not another word needed to be uttered. But, he was curious as to why Yuta hated his father.

     "Shall we get down to the lab then?" Namjoon asked, noticing that Yuta had not taken his eyes off of Seokjin from the door to him going to stand next to Yoongi.

     "Seokjin," Yuta held out his hand and Seokjin looked down hesitant, studying it. "I'm eager to speak to you after the ceremony."

     Seokjin shook his hand, grasping it firmly. Yuta was not intimidated, in fact, his mood seemed joyful, like he was expecting Seokjin to be a hard ass and was surely not disappointed.

     "Why?" Seokjin inquired, brows raised.

     "I'd thought it would be obvious." Yuta smoothed his jacket, "Hoseok will be in no position to talk about the things he saw, this spell causes severe hallucinations in the subject for days after the counterspell negates the effect. You're going to want answers regarding Yoosun as quickly as possible."

     "I can't deny that, but aren't you afraid the same thing will happen to you?"

     "What kind of expert would I be if I couldn't counter a simple relictus spell?" Yuta smirked.

     Namjoon sensed a bit of tension from Seokjin and thought it best to move Yuta from the room and get the proceedings started. "Shall we go see Hoseok then?"

     "Yes, of course." He bowed his head slightly to Seokjin and turned back to Namjoon, following him out of the room.

     Yoongi glared at Seokjin, "What's this feeling I'm sensing?"

     "He's supposed to be old..."

     "You're basing his expertise on the criteria of what age he looks?" Yoongi shook his head, amused.

     "He should be wrinkly, not..not like some pretty boy." Seokjin scoffed, "Don't give me that look."

     "He comes highly recommended, chill." Yoongi put his hand on Seokjin's shoulder and squeezed. "And you of all people should not be hung up on any non-correlation between pretty and badass."

     "Did you just call me pretty?" Seokjin smirked. Yoongi slapped him on the arm, wondering how he put up with his best friend.

     Taehyung strolled into the room, his head buried in his book, unaware that he was about to collide with the stone statue in the entryway. Seokjin grabbed his shirt in time and pulled him back, jarring him from his daydream. "Woh, that was close." Taehyung was centimeters from the statue's hard nose.

     "Explain to me what elixir this guy is juicing on for him to look like a fetus-" Seokjin pulled the book from Taehyung's grasp and shut it.

     "The counterist?" Taehyung queried and Seokjin nodded, "Obvious, he's an incubus." Taehyung grabbed his book back and turned to Yoongi, "Can I borrow you?"

     Yoongi smirked, "Borrow away."  

      The two of them began to walk towards the library, leaving behind Seokjin, who was seconds away from protesting.

     "What do you mean an Incubus?' Seokjin ranted, following them through the library doors, stopping to give Taehyung an incredulous stare, suggesting he was insane.

     "You're still operating under the assumption that all Incubus are sex-crazed dream snatchers?" Taehyung giggled, "That's prejudice, Seokjin."

     Seokjin threw his hands up, questioning what the hell Taehyung meant, "Well, aren't they?"

     "Troglodyte." Taehyung grimaced, "You're like a walking anachronism."

      "My Archaic fists are about to mangle your face-"

     "Now that we've exhausted the thesaurus." Yoongi laughed to himself. 

     Taehyung shook his head, "An incubus isn't just a sex thirsty demon invading the dreams of young virginal women, many of them use their powers to harness energy for youth, the counterspells he performs are turned into a sort of fountain of juvenescence."

     "Are you serious?" Yoongi questioned, thoughts of Taehyung messing with Seokjin right now would just end in a bloody mess concerning Tae's face.

     "A rare amount of incubus are A-sexual," Taehyung informed them, glad he chose the path of a book-worm for once. "Some even have a penchant towards staying young."

     Seokjin huffed, "Shouldn't we be down there?"

     "I'm pretty sure Namjoon is capable of handling a counterist gone rogue if need be." Taehyung took a deep breath, "Stop suspecting everyone is the devil."

      "You should be happy we got the incubus with an eternal youth addiction." Yoongi razzed him.

     Seokjin rolled his eyes, "I'm taking a walk, text me if anything happens."

 

      Seokjin's walk ended up with him on some backroad that he wasn't aware existed until this very moment, the rustling leaves rolling down the street like tumbleweed did nothing to ease his mind of the odd solitude he was feeling inside. The wind carried around a distant aroma of burning logs that filled his nostrils. He loved this time of year, but even the atmosphere was not enough to uncloud his thoughts. Yoosun had invaded his brain, implanted spells inside of him..made him into walking death trap. Worse of it was, he had no way of knowing if something else was lurking in there. He took a deep breath of the chilly autumn air. No. He couldn't worry about that or he'd go batty. Right now, he just needed to get back to the castle to find out if Hoseok had returned to the world of reality. 

 _Where the hell am I?_ He took out his phone and punched up the GPS app. He was miles from the castle, it was nearly 2 PM and that meant he had been walking for a few hours. The phone vibrating in his hand made him jump. _Jungkook._ He answered.

      "Seokjin?" The younger's voice was like a melody, he smiled. "You there?"

     "I'm kind of lost." Seokjin let out a short titter, "Grab the motorcycle and come get me?" He sent a screenshot of the coordinates to Jungkook.

     "Yeah sure, stay put." Jungkook paused, unsure on whether he should tell Seokjin what was going on. "Um, bad news, but I don't want to tell you on the phone."

     Seokjin switched ears, an unease in his stomach fluttering about, something was wrong. "You're scaring me, tell me now."

     "Hoseok started bleeding-" He stopped, static sounded over the line, "So Yoongi went to get blood...he was...ambushed."

     A chill went straight up Seokjin's spine, that feeling in the pit of his stomach doubling into tiny pricks, stabbing at him.  "Is he o-okay?"

     "It's pretty bad, he's lost a lot of blood-" Jungkook hesitated, taking a deep breath, "Seokjin, I don't know if he's going to make it."

     Seokjin dropped his phone, panicked. How the hell could this happen in the short time he was gone? He covered his mouth, he should have been with Yoongi, this would not have happened if he wasn't out walking in the middle of nowhere.

     "Just stay there, I'm on my way." Jungkook's voice came through the receiver.

     Seokjin nodded, reaching for his phone and bringing it slowly up to his ear, "Who did this?"

     "If I tell you, you're going to get yourself killed-"

     "WHO DID THIS?" Seokjin yelled, anger replacing the worry too quickly.

     Jungkook could only breath heavy.

      "Jungkook-" He was not mad at the younger, he couldn't take this out on him. "Please."

     "He managed to kill two of Jihoon's men in the scuffle, but he said Jihoon was stronger now-"

     "Hurry." Seokjin hung up, pocketing his phone, his breath labored, "Oh god Yoongi, don't you fucking die on me."

 

     The second Jungkook and Seokjin got back to the castle, Seokjin was off again, wasting no time zooming down the road straight to Jihoon's house. He didn't bother to go see Yoongi first, if he did, he knew he wouldn't leave his bedside and he had shit to take care of. He busted through the office door, taking out several guards in his path. Jihoon did not falter, he stood there behind two of his biggest men, staring at Seokjin as if he were late. Seokjin realized as he stared back at the pint-sized weasel, that this was a setup, Jihoon planned this little display to get him there. _Whose_ _your real weakness, Seokjin?_

    "Now that I have your attention, I have a quest for you." Jihoon's gaze was wicked, he knew he had Seokjin at an impasse, the only way out of this was to do what he beckoned.

      "Why would I do anything for you?" Seokjin snarled.

     "If you don't, he dies." Jihoon sat back down at his desk, waving for his goons to leave them alone. "This little favor will save Yoongi's life."

     "What did you do to him?"

     "The counterist will try his hardest, but it's a new spell, one like he's never seen before." Jihoon was proud of himself, "If he somehow _is_ genius enough to figure out a counterspell, it will take longer than Yoongi has."

      "Bullshit."

     "Call Namjoon, ask him what is wrong with Yoongi, the best you'll get is 'some sort of spell, we don't know.'" Jihoon's smirk was making Seokjin's face turn red, he was seconds away from ripping the scoundrel's heart from his chest.

     "What..do..you..want?" Seokjin's sneer was comical to Jihoon, he was getting too much enjoyment out of Seokjin's turmoil.

     "You have my laptop, you know what's coming." Jihoon steepled his fingers in front of his mouth, "Yoosun has his own rules in play, if you will. I need to protect myself."

     "Did you expect him to cater to your whims?"

     "I expected he wouldn't dare to ask so much of my patience, he's a liability, but that's not what I need your help with." Jihoon stood, he walked to Seokjin, looking up at the ornery hybrid. "I need you to get me something from Namjoon's office."

     "You want me to betray my pack's trust?"

     "You want me to let Yoongi die?" Jihoon taunted, goading him. "It's your choice."

     "Why not just have me ask Namjoon for it-"

     "Seokjin, I need not remind you that Namjoon is a private sort of person?" Jihoon sighed, "He would not willingly give you what I seek."

     "Then obviously Yoongi would rather die then see you with it." Seokjin had enough of Jihoon's shit, he grabbed him up by the collar and drew back his hand-

     "You kill me and you lose your best friend-" Jihoon's tone turned serious. "I know the bond you share with my cousin is very special."

     Seokjin clenched his jaws, whatever item Jihoon needed him to retrieve from Namjoon's possession had to be catastrophic if it were to end up in this bottom feeder's hands. "How can I trust you'll keep your end of the bargain?"

     "Yoongi still plays an important part in my plans, while his demise could be worked around, it's better for me if he's alive..for now." Jihoon removed his shirt from Seokjin's grasp and backed away a few steps, adjusting his tie. "Do we have a deal?"

     "What do you need?" Seokjin knew he'd regret this, but he had no other choice, not when the alternative was that Yoongi would die.

     "He keeps it in his safe, it's a small black box, what's in it..not your concern, so don't bother to try to swap it out with a fake." Jihoon sat on the corner of his desk, looking at his watch, "I'd say you have about 23 hours left before Yoongi succumbs to the spell."

     

     Seokjin paced the floor in Jungkook's room, he was never this nervous, even before a fight he remained calm and just did what he needed to do..but this, this was big, this was stealing from their leader, this was betraying his pack.

     "You can't do this." Jungkook practically begged, staring at Seokjin with a crestfallen expression that ate at his conscience, making him feel even more guilty.

     "I can't let Yoongi die-"

     "How do you know he's not bluffing?" Jungkook took Seokjin by the shoulders, squeezing his fingers down in his flesh, hoping to talk some sense into him. "Did you talk to Yuta?"

     "If I talk to Yuta, my chances of getting this thing from Namjoon's safe become zero," Seokjin took a deep breath, "I need you to keep a lookout for me-"

     "No way." Jungkook let go of Seokjin, his mouth curled up in utter disapproval, "I can't be a part of this-"

     "I won't sit there and watch him suffer." Seokjin shook his head, "I need your help...please."

     Jungkook couldn't bear the desperation on Seokjin's face, "What if we explain to Namjoon, maybe they-"

     "No, you're not getting this," Seokjin cut him off, "If Namjoon knows, Yoongi dies."

     

     Seokjin quietly opened the door to Namjoon's office and peeked inside, it was empty. The room was dimly lit, only a small amount of light shone in from the window, but it was enough to be able to see around without taking out his flashlight and alerting a passerby. Namjoon had been in the lab for most of the day, preoccupied with Hoseok's situation, so this should be cake. He opened it further and turned to Jungkook, feeling the urge to apologize for asking this of him. "I'm sorry."

     Jungkook shrugged, "Just hurry."

     Seokjin leaned in and kissed his lips, the younger was a little more rigid than usual, Seokjin wasn't sure if Jungkook was mad at him or if he was just nervous, maybe both at this point. "Don't worry."

     "Yeah, sure." Jungkook turned his back to the elder and Seokjin just sighed, he hated that Jungkook would think less of him..but it was just something he'd have to live with. _Your_ _heart is too pure sometimes_. Seokjin slipped inside, wiping away the absurd amount of sweat that started to run down his forehead. _Chill Seokjin, just get the damn box and get out._ He hurried over to behind the desk and moved the painting that was attached to the front of the wall safe. He knew the first two digits in the combination, but the last one would be tricky, Namjoon probably wouldn't pick too obvious a number, so it could be anything. He thought of some significant numbers within the pack, 23 members. It didn't work. 12, the day of his birth. No go. Nari's birthday, The number of Dagma's children, the last two digits of his phone number, the number of hamburgers he could eat in one sitting, all were dead ends. "Fuck." At this rate, he would end up trying every number on the damn dial.

     Jungkook traipsed up and down the hallway, stopping every few seconds to listen for footsteps or voices. No one was coming, he was alone. The odds of Namjoon coming down this hallway in the time it took for Seokjin to steal the object were probably very slim. _What is taking so long?_ He listened against Namjoon's door, hoping maybe he could tell when Seokjin was done, but it was quiet, the only sound as his own heartbeat thumping so hard that it was about to burst from his chest cavity. _I can't believe I'm doing this_. He swore that somehow he'd make this up to Namjoon and the pack, even if they never figured out why he was being so damn nice all of a sudden. _All because of Seokjin's love for Yoongi. His love. For Yoongi. Ugh._

     Jungkook perked up, he heard footsteps in the foyer. "Oh shit." He murmured to himself, glaring at the door, his eyes so wide they took up over half his face. _Namjoon_! He heard Namjoon say 'hi' to another pack member, stopping for a second to converse. Moments later he came around the corner, looking at a file he had in his hands. Jungkook froze. _Oh fuck_. He quick reached his hand up to the door and knocked slightly, pretending he had been standing there waiting to talk to him. Namjoon stopped.

     "Jungkook?"

     Jungkook spun around, calm on the outside, but inside he was jelly. "Oh hey, I was just looking for you-"

     Seokjin slowly removed his hand from the dial and eyed the room for a place to hide, Namjoon's office was so open that there was no place to go. _Closet._ He made a swift walk to the closet and opened the door. Namjoon and Jungkook walked in just as he was closing himself inside. _Oh shit, the painting._ He didn't replace the painting on the wall. Namjoon threw the file down on his desk and sat on the edge, facing Jungkook.

     "So, what did you need to see me for?" Namjoon looked up at him and he froze again, he was betraying his leader's trust. Namjoon would see right through this little ruse. He'd call him out on the lie for sure.

     "I just needed someone to talk to, I couldn't go to Seokjin with this."

     "With what?" Namjoon was a bit worried.

     "I'm worried about Yoongi." Jungkook didn't believe the words that escaped from his lips, and with the face that Namjoon made, he didn't think the elder did either. "I mean, for Seokjin." He stammered.

     "Explain."

     Jungkook looked towards the window, trying to conjure up some sort of believable story. He was not good at lying and he knew he was sweating now and that his voice was shaky. Namjoon staring through him did nothing to ease his nerves. "I feel guilty..because I really don't care if Yoongi makes it out of this." His quick draw of breath made Namjoon realize the kid felt bad he had just admitted that. "But Seokjin, he cares and I'm worried what might happen."

     Seokjin felt like Jungkook was on the verge of confessing what they were up to. _Keep it together, Kookie._

     "If I go to him with this, he'll think I'm..horrible." Jungkook mustered up some fake sadness.

     "I'm sure he gets that." Namjoon's tone was comforting, it made Jungkook feel like a shitbag.

     Y _ou're a fucking liar, Jungkook_. "I know, but.." Jungkook looked behind the desk. His breath hitched and he covered his mouth. The wall safe was visible, the painting that normally covered it was sitting haphazard on the floor. _You stupid ass, Seokjin._

     "Are you okay?" Namjoon stood and looked down at Jungkook, tilting his head to try to peer into the younger's eyes.

     "I'm s-sorry..I just.." Jungkook's voice raised several octaves, "I feel bad for thinking this way."

     Seokjin shook his head, Jungkook was losing it. He took his phone out of his pocket and texted Namjoon. **How is Yoongi?**

Namjoon looked down at his pocket, grabbing his phone. "Speak of the devil."

     Jungkook nearly choked, he glanced towards the closet door, his eyes about to give away the secret, it was a miracle that Namjoon hadn't picked up on his deceit. He glared at Namjoon, a weird fake smile on his face. Namjoon put his phone down and looked at him, stifling a laugh. "Relax, what you're feeling is normal." He stood and took a deep breath, "I'm going back down to the lab. We can continue this later."

     "Yeah..okay." Jungkook stuttered. Namjoon lead him to the door and they both walked out, Jungkook taking one last peek towards the closet before Namjoon shut the door.

     Seokjin emerged from the closet, listening to the silence for a few moments before resuming the neverending number game with a piece of steel. "What the hell is important to you Namjoon?" He thought for a moment, a date? a random number? The number of times you've been an upstanding guy?   _Stop. Think_. The day he became leader? W _hat day was that?_ He thought hard and it registered, a light came on within. He turned the dial to knock out the first two numbers then took a deep breath, praying to Dagma that this was it. He stopped on the number 8. The lock clicked and he turned the handle, it popped open. The last damn number was the day he became the leader of this pack..and here Seokjin was, breaking his trust, stealing an item from his safe that was obvious he didn't want to see the light of day.

 

     "You're going to hell, Seokjin." Jungkook berated him, "There's a big firey rock with our names on it."

     "You're not helping." Seokjin glared at the box as he sat on the edge of Jungkook's bed, "and, you reallllly suck at lying."

     "I take that as a compliment." Jungkook edged in next to him, staring down at the black box Seokjin held in his hand. "Are you going to open it?"

     "I have to meet him in twenty minutes." Seokjin exhaled, "This thing..is important. Whatever's in here is going to help Jihoon into power." Seokjin looked down, he rubbed his face with his free hand, stressed. Once he left here, once he handed this over to Jihoon, whatever horrendous act that was carried out next and whoever died as a result, was all on him. "I can't take back whatever he does with this."

     "Then come up with another plan?"

     "Too much time has passed now, there is no way Yuta will figure out how to counter this." Seokjin removed the lid from the box, if he was going to go through with this, he had to know what was inside. The box held a stone, a shiny hematite shaped like a tear drop attached to a small black rope. He lifted it from the box, the moment he did he felt a strange sensation pulse through him. "Woh."

     "You okay?" 

     "It has a force within it." Seokjin quickly dropped it back into the box and returned the lid. "I need to know what this is, so that I can stop him after we have the cure."

     Jungkook took out his phone, "Open it again."

     Seokjin lifted the lid and Jungkook snapped a quick pic, he placed the lid back and looked at Jungkook, "I should go."

     "I'm coming with-"

     "No..no way" Seokjin knew his tone was harsh, but it needed to be. "He could hurt you."

     "I'm not letting you go alone, so stop being so overprotective." Jungkook seized the box from him, then grabbed his jacket off the armchair. "Let's go."

     Seokjin knew better than to push the issue, he stood and nodded and they walked out together.

 

     Jihoon held the stone up to the light on his desk, It was authentic, no tricks. He closed his eyes basking in the power emanating from it. His fangs began to protrude out over his lips as he rubbed his fingers along the smooth rounded edge,  like it was somehow making him feel aroused. Jungkook and Seokjin exchanged grossed-out stares, it was making the two of them very uncomfortable.

     "If you're done getting off to it, we're kind of on a time thing here-" 

     Jihoon opened his eyes to look at them, a bit embarrassed. "Yes, of course. You did well."

     "The counter.."

     Jihoon set the stone back in the box and pushed it aside. "I'll text it to you after you leave."

     "Not good enough."

     "I don't trust you Seokjin, the moment you have it, you have no reason to walk out of here without a little blood on your hands." Jihoon took out his phone, he held it up and shook it back and forth, "Make sure only the counterist performs this."

     Seokjin placed his hands on Jihoon's desk, leaning in so close, that Jihoon could feel the heat of his breath. "I swear to the gods that if you played me, there won't  be blood on just my hands."

     Jihoon tried to play off that he wasn't fazed, but behind his eyes, Seokjin could see he was scared.

     "If anything goes wrong, you can blame your father,"  Jihoon informed them, "This is his creation."

     He leaned back up, not taking his eyes off the vampire as he and Jungkook walked out, slamming the door behind him. Jihoon took a deep breath to calm himself. _I will kill you, Seokjin. Mark my words._

 

     Taehyung was changing out a blood bag when Seokjin walked in and slammed a printout of the counter-curse on the counter, "Where's Yuta?"

     Namjoon glanced at the paper and then up at him, "What is that?"

      Jungkook came through the doors, pale as a ghost. He sat on the edge of the cot next to Hoseok, hoping Namjoon wouldn't question him about anything or he might accidentally spill the beans.

     "It's the cure." Seokjin walked over to Yoongi and took his hand in his own, determined to forget what it was he just did. "But it has to be Yuta that recites it."

     Namjoon picked it up and nodded to Jimin, signaling him to go fetch Yuta. "How did you get this?"

     "I had to do Jihoon a favor, that's it." Seokjin did not meet Namjoon's gaze, staring at the floor instead. 

     Namjoon glanced at Jungkook, who too, looked down at the floor. "I hope you know what you're doing."

     Jungkook glared at Seokjin, his face etched with a mixture of worry and anger, Seokjin stared back at him apologetic, but Jungkook was too upset with himself to accept any sort of apology at the moment. Jungkook focused his attention back to Hoseok, he didn't want to look at Seokjin while Namjoon was in the room, it was like he was making a mockery of their leader if he did. _Lesson number 1 on how to tell if you're in love with someone; You compromise your morals for them._

     

     Yuta recited the incantation and leaned back, looking down at Yoongi. It was an odd spell that somehow invaded the bloodstream to keep the wound open and the blood flowing, but it was timed, only letting a certain amount of blood escape, enough to keep him in trouble, but not enough to bleed out. "Who made this spell?" Yuta glared up at Seokjin.

     "My father." Seokjin admitted, "He's able to create spells now."

     Yuta stood, leaning against the counter, "Only gods can create spells-"

     "Well he is a demigod," Namjoon reminded. "I suppose that's close enough."

      "The amount of thought and skill that went into the curse is peculiar." Yuta surmised, "He somehow fused a blood curse with a suppression spell."

      "And came up with a counter-curse," Taehyung added. Yuta nodded.

     "Curses and spells can't be combined, it's a fail-safe..or spells would be infinite," Yuta explained. "It would make countering near impossible."

     "How so? Seokjin asked.

     "Well, think about it, in order for a spell or curse to be countered, it's normally a set factor with an order to be followed - you say an incantation, spell happens. If you were able to combine them, the exact recipe would be harder to determine, spells would be incredibly complicated, each counter would have to be tailored, and figuring out which two spells were combined, well, how the hell would you in a timely manner?" Yuta took a breath, "Not to mention protection spells would be useless."

     "So now he's rewriting the rules." Taehyung looked at Namjoon.

     "If he can do this, he's making magic way OP." Yuta continued, "And if he teaches this method to others, Jesus...I shudder to think what can happen."

     "If he can do this, how do we stop him?" Jungkook huffed, he was growing tired of Yoosun and his shenanigans.

     "I think Yuta and I will be doing some research. He's decided to stay on at the castle until further notice." Namjoon informed them all, glancing down at Hoseok. "At least until Hoseok is feeling himself again."

     "What the fuck hit me?" Yoongi moaned, they all turned to him.

     Seokjin took his hand and helped him to sit up. "Welcome back."

     "Everything is spinning." Yoongi blinked his eyes several times trying to adjust to the bright light, holding his midsection like his guts were about to pop out.

     Yuta bent down to look into his eyes. "Do you know where you are?"

      Yoongi studied Yuta's face, "The lab?"

      "You were hit with a very powerful spell-"

      "Yoosun.." Yoongi cleared his throat, "It felt like he cut me in half."

      "How did you make it back here?" Namjoon inquired.

     "I dunno." Yoongi cracked his neck, he felt like he was moving in slow motion. "I need to feed."

     Seokjin pulled him up, wrapping his arm around Yoongi to help study him. Yoongi winced. "I'll take you out."

     "A date so soon?" Yoongi joked, but Jungkook did not find it amusing, Yoongi could feel his stare penetrating the back of his head. "Chill kid."

     Seokjin turned his attention to Jungkook, "I'll be back soon."

     Jungkook didn't even bother to protest, he just needed to remind himself that he could trust Seokjin. He gave a solemn nod and watched as the elder helped Yoongi from the room. He swore he would kill Jihoon with his bare hands for this whole fiasco.

     "We'll be in my office, let me know if there is a change in Hoseok," Namjoon announced and then he and Yuta left. 

     Taehyung watched the door for several seconds before he turned to Jungkook, his curiosity peaking. "What did Seokjin do for Jihoon?"

      Jimin sat down on the cot next to Hoseok and covered him up.

     Jungkook sighed, he wasn't about to keep this to himself, plus he would need the brother's help to figure out what the rock was for. He pulled up the picture on his phone and held it out to Taehyung. "This."

     Jimin leaned in to see, wondering what was so special about a rock. "What is that?"

     Taehyung knew exactly what it was and exactly where it had been. "Jungkook-"

     "I know, but we had to." Jungkook didn't fancy a lecture about pack trust at the moment, he needed answers. "What is it?"

     "An enchanted blood drop shaped hematite, it's used to store power, essence. Yeolgwi used it to siphon some of his power into if he ever were to be taken down." Taehyung shook his head, "A little hard to recover from your heart being ripped out though."

     "Why would Jihoon need it?" Jimin caught up on what exactly was going on, but he wasn't one to judge.

      "The power in that rock is enough to ascend him, coupled with the spell from Yoosun." Taehyung sat on the stool, hard, nearly bouncing off of it. "Taking on that much power all at once is rough on the body, the stone will ease him into it, so that he can absorb it slowly."

     Jungkook could attest to the amount of stress that taking in a shit ton of power all at once, could do to a body. He would never forget the fatigue he felt after the battle with 'Sebastian'. 

     "Namjoon's going to realize the stone is missing-"

     "I know. But what the hell would you expect, you know he would never let Yoongi die." Jungkook argued, "We just need to stop him before anything happens."

      "It's already happening, when Yoongi was brought in he said Jihoon was stronger, so Yoosun performed the spell already." Taehyung stated, "Now he just consumes victims and lets the stone do its job..he will be as strong as a demi-god."

 

     Yoongi bit into the neck of his victim, feeling the salty liquid hit his tongue, it was pure elation. She was a pretty, middle-aged blonde woman from town, unfortunate enough to be leaving work after dark. Normally, he wouldn't be so sloppy about it all, but he wasn't in a position to be picky.

     Seokjin cringed at the sucking sound that was coming from the contact of Yoongi's mouth on her skin, so obscene. He was leaning against the car that they had parked on the side of some back road, secretly texting Taehyung to come out and take his place. He thought this would be the perfect opportunity for them to reconnect, not to mention he felt a bit guilty being out here after what he asked of Jungkook today.

     Oh, the taste of human blood; so gratifying, so delectable, so much better than the blood bags he had been addicted to, or the bunnies that he secretly stole from Taehyung's stock. Human blood straight from the vein was instantly healing, he could feel the remainder of his wound closing up as he sucked. Seokjin looked over as Yoongi dropped the girl and wiped his mouth.

     "You know what would make this better?" Yoongi licked the remaining blood from his fingers and turned to Seokjin, who pocketed his phone and stood up straight.

     "What?"

     "Alcohol." Yoongi joined him by the car. "Agree?"

     "Are you sure you're up for that?" Seokjin glanced at his watch, he would have to stall at least another ten minutes to give Taehyung enough time to arrive.

     "When in my life have I ever not been up for drinking?" Yoongi smirked, leaning against the car and taking in a whiff of the air. 

     "I've been thinking about the whole Jihoon and Yoosun thing-"

     "Another good reason to drink."

     "Why do you figure that Yoosun is helping Jihoon to become so powerful only to turn around and be a hindrance?"

     "The vampires and Onyx both want to use the werewolves as slaves, I'm sure it all comes down to money." Yoongi was getting impatient. "We've discussed this."

      "Then wouldn't Yoosun want to keep the vampires happy for now, not make them into enemies?" Seokjin didn't know where he was going with this, but it was the only thing in his mind at the moment.

     "This is Yoosun we're talking about, nothing he does makes sense to normal people."

     "If you want to be the ruler of a species, you'd want to keep mutual friends." Seokjin suggested, "The fewer people you have to fight on your path to domination-"

     "You'd have to put yourself in Yoosun's head, become a psychopath."

     "I've felt what that's like-"

     "I don't think Cato was as wicked as his son."

     Seokjin scoffed, "Yeah. no."

     "At least Cato had some sort of moral compass, he cared about this family, albeit in his weird way." Yoongi pointed out. "Yoosun wants people to worship him. He has a god complex."

     "I guess."

     "Yoosun is willing to kill you and anyone that gets in his way, he has no guilt about it either." Yoongi turned to him, "I think the only person he even gave a small shit about was your Mom..and you see how well that turned out for her."

     "Guess trying to figure him out is pretty dumb." Seokjin nodded, agreeing with himself.

 

     The bobbing headlights of a car coming up the bumpy road caught Yoongi's attention, "Head's up."

     Seokjin glanced over at the dead body, "You probably should take care of that."

    "Yeah." Yoongi trod over to the body and slung it up over his shoulder then hurried his pace into the woods. The car stopped and Taehyung stepped out, reaching back in to turn off the headlights.

     "Hey." Seokjin smiled, feeling how nervous Taehyung was. "He's disposing."

     Taehyung joined him by the car looking like he was about to throw up. "Human?" He seemed surprised.

     Seokjin took out his keys and opened his car door. "Take care of him."

     Taehyung nodded, wiping his sweaty palms off on his jeans. Seokjin started the car and did a quick U-turn then was off down the road, leaving Taehyung standing alone on the back road with just his bundle of nerves to keep him company. He took a deep breath, wondering what was taking Yoongi so long.

     "Well, this explains the stalling." Yoongi walked from the shadows, his mood uplifted. 

     Taehyung tensed up, he was sure this was a mistake, what the hell was he supposed to talk about? He had so many doubts floating around in his head. "How are you feeling?"

     "Better." Yoongi leaned against Taehyung's car, staring at him.

     "Healed?" Taehyung lifted Yoongi's shirt to see nothing but abs, the wound was healed, a small red scar left in its place. "You heal fast." He ran his fingers over the area and Yoongi's skin twitched. He was ticklish. "Oh, sorry." Taehyung withdrew his hand and backed up.

     Yoongi wasn't mad. He just stared into Taehyung's eyes, suddenly wishing that there was less distance between them. "You're fine." He moved a few steps towards Taehyung and smiled, "If I kissed you right now, would you hit me?"

     Taehyung shook his head, speechless. Before he could comment, Yoongi had cupped Taehyung's cheek in his palm. Yoongi's warm breath against his chin made him tingle. "Yoongi-" 

     Yoongi wet his lips, the anticipation was thick. He leaned in closer, hovering an inch from Taehyung's trembling lips. Taehyung closed his eyes instinctively, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't take advantage of you like this." Yoongi leaned back.

     Taehyung opened one eye, then the other, questioning if he was in a dream and suddenly woke up, "What?"

     "You needed time-"

     "Fuck needing time." Taehyung was having no part of this, he pushed Yoongi against the car, leaning in, he connected with Yoongi lips. _Fireworks._ They both felt them. Taehyung's hands found Yoongi's waist, gripping his fingers tightly around Yoongi's warm flesh. Taehyung wasn't sure what came over him.

     Yoongi didn't know if he could control his voracious appetite, with Taehyung pressed up against him, the cold metal of the car was the only thing keeping him grounded. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

      Taehyung undid Yoongi's belt buckle, fumbling with the button on his pants. He didn't want to talk.

     "Tae-" They stared into each other's eyes, no words needed to be muttered. Yoongi could see the lust in Taehyung's eyes screaming out that he wanted to have him, right here, right now. He grabbed the back of Taehyung's neck and pulled him back in, locking lips again, their teeth bumping together from the excitement. "Sorry."

     Taehyung slipped both hands below the hemline of Yoongi's jeans, sliding them down. Between the younger's hands and the cold of the air, Yoongi could feel the goosebumps forming on his skin and shivered. 

     "In the car now," Taehyung ordered and Yoongi smiled, surprised at how assertive he was being.

     Yoongi opened the car door and slid inside, Taehyung bearing down on him the second he felt the smooth leather of the interior on the back of his exposed thighs. he flinched slightly, but Taehyung didn't give him enough time to reflect on it, he pressed his warm body against Yoongi's, grinding against his hips. The younger's mouth exploring his own. This was not the mousy, unconfident Taehyung he knew, this guy was a full out beast. He managed to break away from Taehyung's lips long enough to ask where the lube was.

     "Glove compartment." Taehyung leaned over the seat and clicked open the glove box, grabbing the tube that was sitting inside. "It's cold."

     "I don't care." Yoongi ripped Taehyung's hoodie off and threw it aside, the weather was so chilly, Taehyung's nipples were erect the moment they were exposed. He pulled Taehyung back down and they locked lips, Yoongi was so turned on he didn't think he would be able to last. "God, I love you."

     The back seat was cramped, but somehow Taehyung made it comfortable. Yoongi felt like he was stretched two sizes bigger and would probably walk funny the next morning, but he didn't care. He looked over at Taehyung leaning his head back against the seat, still out of breath. "You okay?"

     Taehyung closed his eyes and smiled. "Perfect." 

     Everything felt so right in this moment, he didn't want it to end.

 

* * *

Aghh this took so long to get back to...I had a small bout of writer's block. I hope you enjoy!!  Taegi is back ^_^


	58. BONUS 8: King's council

      The lab was normally a dreary place, much like a hospital, filled with medical things and bad karma and not very inviting. Usually people mimicked the feel of the room if they spent a great amount of time there- but this morning, Jungkook noticed Taehyung whistling as he rearranged the medicine shelf in the cabinet, and not just a cute little tune to pass the time, but a full out song of happiness where birds and rainbows threatened to escape his mouth at any moment. It helped to lift Jungkook's mood a bit and get his mind off what had happened yesterday.

     "I was shocked Seokjin called you to go out and take care of Yoongi last night."

     "And by shocked, you mean relieved?" Taehyung looked up at him, Jungkook smirked.

     "By the sudden chirping coming from your mouth, it went well?"

     Taehyung blushed, he had indeed 'taken care' of Yoongi. "My lips are sealed."

     "Well good, I hope you keep him preoccupied more." Jungkook sounded more bitter than he intended.

     "Still mad at Seokjin?"

     "Not mad, just..I dunno. Indifferent." Jungkook scooted up on the counter. "Sometimes I think we have totally different philosophies in life."

     "Isn't this a red versus blue thing?"

     "I dunno, maybe I just need something to do remind myself I have a purpose other than being righteous." Jungkook leaned his back against the wall, "Namjoon and Yuta are up figuring out a way to defeat Yoosun, Seokjin and Yoongi are out hunting down the traitor at the blood bank, Jimin is still trying to decipher the laptop and well, you..you get to take care of Hoseok. What am I doing?"

     "Helping me?"

     Jungkook scoffed. "I'm sick of him being so damn overprotective all the time. ‘Stay here,’ ‘No, you can't come.’" Jungkook raged, "I can take care of my damn self."

     "Woh killer, calm down." Taehyung stood, it was obvious the younger was dealing with some inner turmoil.

     "He expects me to lie for him, but his first choice when it comes to the physical stuff is Yoongi?"

     "They've been friends a long time, they work together well-"

     "And I don't? I'm his fucking soul mate-" Jungkook huffed, Taehyung frowned. "Sorry, it just annoys me."

     "Why don’t you tell him this?"

     Jungkook shrugged. "Being with Seokjin is hard."

     They are both cut from the same cloth,” Taehyung was giving himself a pep talk just as much as the younger. “We just have to be more aggressive."

     “Meh.” Jungkook stood, feeling like his mind needed to be preoccupied with something that he could control. “I should go study I guess.”

     “Hey, you can do me a favor if you want?” Taehyung looked at him hopeful, the task he was about to thrust upon Jungkook was one of his least favorite.

     “Oh god, what?” Jungkook had an uneasy feeling he was about to clean a toilet or something.

     “Sehun could use some fresh air.”

     “Sehun isn’t a dog.” Jungkook sighed.

     “Yeah, but he needs to be watched like one and well, I know you won’t let him run off.”

     Jungkook shook his head, “Why aren’t we letting him go?”

     “Yoongi doesn’t fully trust that his story is legit.” Taehyung bent back down to the medicine cabinet, “And he knows too much.”

 

     Seokjin had the blood bank clerk pinned to the wall, his eyes so focused on him, the clerk felt like if he moved, the daggers Seokjin was staring at him would come to life and penetrate his heart. Meanwhile, Yoongi searched through the filing cabinet marked ‘employees’. They found out that a woman by the name of Nero was working when the call came in that Yoongi was making a blood run. She tipped off Jihoon and he was waiting there when his nemesis arrived, Yoongi never saw it coming.

     Yoongi pulled out a file, "Bingo." He laid it out on the desk and opened it, scouring the page. “Who doesn’t use computers in this day and age?”

     “We can’t exactly use something so hackable for our special services, can we?”

     “And this is hard to access?”

     “This room is hidden from the general public and non-cleared personnel.” The clerk huffed, glaring at Seokjin. “Can you let me go now?”

     Seokjin pushed him aside and walked over Yoongi, glancing over his shoulder. “Is this her current address?”

     “The odds that's a legit address is slim, you know that right?” The clerk smirked, “You wasted your time for nothing.”

     Seokjin grabbed him by the collar and slammed him back against the wall, making him expel a big breath, “Wanna know what happened to the last guy that wasted my time?”

     The clerk’s eyes were wide, he wasn’t about to die for some stupid job he never wanted in the first place. “The addresses are code, the numbers are always flipped, so 123 is really 321.”

     “Anything else?” Yoongi asked, grabbing the phone and ripping the cord from the wall.

     “The street name is always the one to the left of it, if it’s the last street in the neighborhood, it moves back to the right. Same with north and south.”

      “That is the dumbest system I have ever seen.” Yoongi nodded to Seokjin as he kicked the chair across the room to him. Seokjin guided the clerk to sit in the chair, nearly tipping it when his buttocks made contact with the cushioned seat.

      The clerk looked up at Seokjin and then to Yoongi who was approaching, holding the wire between his fingers. “W-what are you doing?”

     “What’s your species?” Yoongi held the wire up to the clerk’s neck, glancing up to give Seokjin a sly smile.

      “W-What?” He looked back up at Seokjin, the elder squeezed his shoulder and he gulped. “H-human. Just human.”

      “Humans don’t get this job, lie again and I wrap this cord around your throat and snap your head off.” Yoongi hissed.

      “I’m a familiar, I’m going to be turned soon.” The clerk had tears in his eyes, he pulled up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo on his wrist. “I..I swear.”

     “Ugh, wrong answer.” Yoongi shook his head, “I hate familiars.”

      “Don’t k-kill me, I won’t t-tell anyone you w-were here.” The clerk implored, "I p-promise."

      Yoongi swung his hand back, his knuckles made contact with the clerk's temple, knocking him out, “And he begs. He’s going to make a shit vampire.” Yoongi sighed, licking the blood from the back of his hand.

     “Just tie him up so we can go.” Seokjin backed up, “I’m going to go find his cellphone.”

      Yoongi watched as Seokjin left the room and then began to wrap the phone wire around the guy's wrists, trying them behind the chair. He stood back to admire his handiwork, “I wonder where they keep the duct tape.”

 

     Jungkook and Sehun were walking around the outskirts of the property, Sehun spotted a bunny in the bushes and made a bee-line for it, it evaded the vampire's grasp, darting left then right. Sehun misstepped and tumbled over into the brush, rolling and standing up just as quick. Jungkook was so preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn’t even notice Sehun’s acrobatics.

     “Aren’t you supposed to be guarding me or something?” Sehun questioned, brushing off his jeans. “I could have escaped at least five times by now.”

      “Huh?” Jungkook stopped and turned to him.

     “You’re good at this.” Sehun snickered, “Really.”

     “You wanna die?” Jungkook warned. He was not in the mood for Sehun's smartass mouth today.

     “Jin again?” Sehun received too much enjoyment from taunting Jungkook.

     “Jin?” Jungkook was about to wipe the sly little smile from this vampire’s face. “It’s Seokjin and shut the fuck up. Like you know.”

     “I know he treats you like you’re gonna break,” Sehun walked ahead, past Jungkook who had stopped walking to stare at him with a bitter look on his face.

     “SO?”

     “So, you’re sick of it and I don’t blame you.” Sehun stopped and turned to him. “He’s never gonna stop treating you like a kid unless you stand up to him.”

     “Stand up to him?” Jungkook knew he shouldn’t listen to this jerk, but he had guessed right off what the issue was, so maybe it was a bigger problem than he realized.

     “Kick his ass, show him you got balls for once.”

     “You want me to kick his ass?” Jungkook laughed, “You’re an asshole.” Jungkook walked past him, bumping his shoulder and knocking him off balance.

     “He doesn’t think you can handle yourself, so he’s gonna leave you behind.” Sehun caught up to him, grinning widely. “He’ll always choose Yoongi ‘cause Yoongi isn’t incompetent.”

     “I’m not incompetent-“

     “I know that and you know that,” Sehun was playing Jungkook like a violin.  “But, Seokjin will never see you that way.”

     “Okay, so you suggest when he gets home I should just grab him up in a choke hold and pummel him until he has some sort of an epiphany?"

     “Seokjin has respect for the fist and not much else,” Sehun assured him.

     Jungkook took a deep breath. “Yeah, whatever.” He stopped and looked up at the setting sun. “You almost done?”

     “What am I, a dog?” Sehun was offended, “I need blood.”

     “Blood bags in the fridge in your room, enjoy.” Jungkook pushed him ahead and they walked back towards the house in silence.

 

     Jungkook sat on his window seat staring at the sun descend into the earth, welcoming darkness. What Sehun had said to him made sense, Seokjin was all about the fight and he despised weakness. He wasn’t about to challenge the elder to a fight though, for one; Seokjin would kick his ass. Second, he didn’t want to fight him to prove to him he was worthy, Seokjin should believe in him because of how close they are. Third, he was sure Sehun was setting him up and he needed to figure out why. He sighed, his head swirling with too many thoughts. Above all, he just missed hanging out with his boyfriend.

     A knock sounded on the door and Jungkook looker over, hopeful Seokjin was back and there was good news. Taehyung peeked his head in. "Yo."

     "Yo ho," Jungkook gave a nod, sighing.

     “Yoongi texted, they found the leak and are heading over to do whatever the hell it is they do,” Taehyung informed.

     “Seokjin didn’t message.” Jungkook glanced at his phone. No messages, he frowned. “How’s Hoseok?”

     “No change. Yuta is with him right now.” Taehyung leaned against the jamb. “You okay?”

     “If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell Seokjin?”

     Taehyung was intrigued, he nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

     “I think Sehun is trying to set me up for something-“

     “What did I miss?” Taehyung walked over and sat on the window seat next to him, settling himself in for a juicy anecdote.

     “I want to figure out his story, I think if I do, maybe Seokjin will stop doubting me.”

     “I still think you should just talk to him.” Taehyung urged.

     “I might need your skills in the near future.” Jungkook ignored his advice, he knew talking was a dead end at this point.

     Taehyung consented, debating with Jungkook about this would go in one ear and out the other, he was just as stubborn as Seokjin and Yoongi. “Okay.”

 

     Seokjin pulled the car over across the street from the address they were searching for. He turned off the ignition and glanced out the window studying the house. It was a run down, two storied row home with half the windows boarded up and graffiti covering much of the front. A real shithole. “What did you find out?”

     Yoongi looked up at him from his phone, “Nero was one of my father’s bodyguards, but she was fired before I was born. Since then she’s been part of Amelia’s entourage.” Yoongi scrolled down a webpage. “Full species heritage unknown, but she’s part vampire.”

     “So, who gets to kill her?” Seokjin took off his seatbelt and slipped on a pair of leather gloves.

     Yoongi put his phone away and glimpsed at his watch, “The house is dark, she’s probably not home.”

     “Yeah, we should take a look around before she gets in.” Seokjin opened the car door and slinked out, glancing around the neighborhood. All was quiet except for the distant sound of a barking dog and the passing traffic of the highway a couple blocks away. He zipped his hoody and looked back into the car, “You coming?”

 

     Yoongi popped the lock with his pick and pocketed it again, turning the handle, he pushed the door open and held out his hand for Seokjin to go in. The smell hit their noses the second they crossed the threshold. The unmistakable smell of death. Seokjin covered his nose and flipped on the light, they both gasped when they saw the kitchen was covered in blood; on the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and every appliance in between. They exchanged horrified glances, wondering what the hell they were walking into.      

     "Found you a wife-" Seokjin joked.

     "Fuck you." Yoongi flipped him off, chuckling to himself.

     The floor was slippery and Seokjin had to hold on to the wall not to slip, he grabbed a towel from the counter and threw it down on the floor, sliding his way over the tiled walk space towards the living room area. He threw the towel back to Yoongi who did the same. Seokjin giggled at how ridiculous Yoongi looked waddling across the blood-soaked tiles like a tiny little pissed off penguin. 

     The carpet was crunchy under their feet as they stepped further into the room from the small hallway, soaked to the core in dry blood.  A low growl filled the air and Yoongi could make out a small dog standing over a lump of what looked to be a person in the corner. He flipped on his flashlight and shined it over to see a small Chihuahua snapping its jaws at them, guarding a decomposed woman’s body. Yoongi nearly threw up when the second wave of death hit his nostrils from the rat dog jarring her body sideways as he inched forward ready to attack, the foulest aroma his nose ever had the misfortune of knowing.

      “Oh great, a half-crazed rat dog about to rip off our ankles.” Yoongi shook his head.

     Seokjin’s face was frozen in disgust, a permanent scowl adorned his features. He let out a growl aimed at the little dog and it pulled back, whimpering. It took a few terrified steps, tail tucked in between its legs. Seokjin flashed his fangs and it retreated out of the room, scampering out the back door and off into the night. “Problem solved.” He brought his forearm up to his face and covered his nose.

     Yoongi shined the light onto the dead body. It was obvious it been there for a while, the skin had turned black and the bodily fluids has seeped into the carpet around it, It was bloated out at least two sizes bigger than when she died, plus it was crawling with maggots and other various pests.

     Seokjin bent down to examine it, the cause of death wasn’t going to be determined by him and he wasn’t about to search the pockets for identification on who this was. He stepped back, gagging. “Either she has a severely horrific diet of putrefied organs or this is Nero.”

     Yoongi felt like he was about to retch all over the carpet. “If this is Nero, who the hell was at the clinic?”

     Seokjin didn’t buy it, but he didn’t think that this Nero woman ate this disgusting delicacy...or at least he hoped. He looked around the room for pictures or something to get an idea if this girl lived alone. “There has to be pictures of her somewhere.”

      “You’re going to identify…that?” Yoongi motioned towards the dead body. “Good luck.”

      “If she eats this for survival, what the fuck is she then?” Seokjin felt like the smell was lingering on his skin and soaked into his hair and nails, he wanted to get out of this room. “I’m going top floor.”

 

     Upstairs were three bedrooms, each of them littered with carcasses and rotting remains. It was a scene straight from a horror movie, he half expected to see zombies roaming around covered in crumbs of flesh, dripping in blood. This Nero lady had a huge problem. Seokjin had to leave, the stench was so foul, he couldn’t bear to be in this house for another second.

     He joined Yoongi in the backyard, both of them taking some deep breaths of the crisp night air. “How the hell does that smell not seep out?” Seokjin complained, looking over at Yoongi who was speechless.

      Yoongi shook his head, gathering his wits. “A spell.”

      Seokjin took out his phone and dialed Taehyung. It rang several times before Taehyung picked up. “Hey, I need you to find something out for me.”

     “Sure, what?” Taehyung responded.

     “What species of abomination lives with corpses and feeds on them?” Seokjin leaned against the fence. “And not a zombie, because I think this goes beyond normal undead cravings.”

     “Only thing that comes to mind is from a horror comic-“

     “Humor me.” Seokjin insisted.

     “A feculent, or in laymen terms, devourer of rotten flesh.” Taehyung thought for a second, “They aren’t real, it’s a monster in Brahm’s Stories.”

     “Uh yeah, well..there is a house full of dead bodies that would beg to differ with that,” Seokjin announced, clearing his throat, the gasses seemed to have settled in his esophagus leaving a terrible taste in his mouth. “I’d set this place on fire, but I think they’d have to declare it a hazardous waste site after that.”

     “Pictures?”

     “Hey, I’ll send you the address, you can come take your own fucking pictures.” Seokjin was not about to go back into the house of horrors for a photograph.

     “Where is it?” Taehyung asked. Seokjin hesitated, this kid wasn’t serious?

     “Oh, you’re serious?” Seokjin looked at Yoongi, one eyebrow raised questioning Taehyung's life.

     “If there is a feculent alive and thriving, hell yeah I wanna see that.”

      “Um, bring a puke bucket, it’s bad.”

     “I’m a zombie, I’m used to rotting flesh smell.”

 

     Five seconds after entering the house, Taehyung was back outside puking out his guts on the grass. Jungkook backed up, covering his own mouth to keep from expelling his dinner.

     “You thought I was kidding?” Seokjin had to laugh.

     “Scutum Odorem.” Yoongi remembered suddenly, “The spell to mask smells.”

     “Yeah, it works. Really well.” Taehyung straightened up and took a deep breath, the taste of acid in his throat making him want to throw up again, “Oh god.”

     “So, is she one of those fectus things?” Seokjin questioned.

     “Feculent.” Taehyung corrected him, “I think maybe Brahms wasn’t being so fictitious after all.”

     “Who’s Brahm’s?” Jungkook felt he needed to ask.

     “Monster writer.” Taehyung answered, “I guess like Seuss for humans?”

      “No, this definitely is not green eggs and ham.” Seokjin argued, “Steven King on hallucinogens maybe.”

     “That aside, what the fuck?” Yoongi exclaimed, putting it out there. “No...why the fuck?”

     “In his fifth book, Foul Night, he described it as a creature so vile that it feasted on the horrors that people wouldn’t like to deal with, like a zombie 2.0. They were used to take care of the aftermath of a war between the humans and vampires.”

     “Are they dangerous?” Jungkook wondered.

     “Not too, they look just like everyone else.” Taehyung wiped the sweat from his brow, “I think we should call the council, update them about this.”

     “Amelia is part of the council, Nero works under her.” Yoongi informed them, “The best bet is to go to her husband, appeal to those against Amelia and Jihoon.”

     “You think her husband would go against her?”

     “The evidence is there, I’m sure if he looked into it deep enough, he’d find the proof.” Yoongi looked at Seokjin, “I think Tae and I should handle that, you two should do something with that-“ He looked up at the house.

     “Oh gee thanks, Yoongi.” Seokjin whined, watching as Yoongi and Taehyung headed back down the driveway towards the front of the house and disappeared around the corner.

     “What are we supposed to do with this?” Jungkook grumbled.

     “Clean up crew.” Seokjin took out his phone. “Extra layers of hazmat.”

 

     Yuta held down Hoseok, grasping his shoulders to try to stop him thrashing about, he was screaming about demons invading his brain, believing they were finally here to take him away to the depths of hell. Namjoon clumsily searched through the cabinets for the sedation drugs, grabbing a bottle of fentanyl and filling a syringe.

     “Hurry.” Yuta couldn’t hold him down much longer. Namjoon rushed over and injected the medication into his intravenous line, Hoseok began to calm down almost immediately. Yuta applied less pressure until Hoseok was still and then let go completely. “Hoseok, can you hear me?”

     Hoseok blinked several times, trying to make sense of what he was seeing, he was in a fog, half in a dream state and half in reality. “Am I dead?”

     “No, Yoosun cast somnum durum on you.” Namjoon bent down over him, looking into his eyes, they were glazed over as if he was high. “Do you remember anything?”

     “I’ve been running for days.” Hoseok breathed heavy, he closed his eyes and swallowed down some saliva building up in his mouth, “They wouldn’t stop chasing me.”

     “You’re okay now Hoseok, they won’t chase you anymore,” Yuta spoke softly, as it Hoseok was a child waking from a nightmare. “You’re safe and sound in the lab.”

     “Where’s Jimin?” Hoseok opened his eyes, focusing on Namjoon’s face. “Is Jimin okay?”

     “Jimin is fine,” Namjoon assured him.

     “They have Jimin, I couldn’t save him…I couldn’t save him.” Hoseok closed his eyes again, breathing heaving like he’d just run a marathon, “Jimin was dying-“

     Namjoon texted Jimin to come down to the lab, “Jimin is fine. I promise.”

     Yuta placed his hand atop Hoseok’s head and closed his own eyes, chanting a few words, “Dulce morari post cogitations suas.” The sweet thoughts incantation seemed to calm Hoseok. Yuta removed his hand as Jimin came bursting through the door.

     “Hoseok.” He kneeled down taking the witches hand in his own. “It’s Jimin, I’m here.”

     “Jimin?” Hoseok looked around the room trying to locate the sound of Jimin’s voice. “Where are you?”

     Jimin leaned up, aligning his face over Hoseok’s, “Here, can you see me?”

     Yuta stood and leaned against the counter, Jimin slid closer. “Keep talking to him.”

    "I'm right here Hobi, can you see me now?"

     “Yeah, I think so.” Hoseok finally focused on Jimin’s worried face. “Jimin!”

     Jimin smiled, relieved, “Yeah, I’m here.” Tears began to well up in his eyes, he was so happy to see Hoseok awake. “I was worried about you.”

     “I heard you, you kept telling me you were okay, but I couldn’t save you…. I, I’m sorry.”

     “No, you did..you saved me, I’m alive.” Jimin played along, assuring Hoseok that he was a hero. “You saved Seokjin too.”

     “Yoosun was in his head.” Hoseok shook his head back and forth, whimpering as if reliving it all over again.

     Jimin caressed Hoseok’s face, the touch of his fingers calmed Hoseok back down. “Don’t worry about that. We’re all okay.”

     “You’re okay?” A tear rolled down Hoseok’s cheek.

     Jimin smiled sweetly, “Yeah, I'm okay.”

     Namjoon squeezed Hoseok’s leg and stood up, grabbing Yuta’s arm, they left the room leaving Jimin and Hoseok alone.

 

      Yoongi pushed open a set of wide, black doors that lead to a spacious round room, they creaked as they swung out, announcing his arrival. The vampire council room was dark, just a few floating lights shone down on the middle of the table where several people were gathered, waiting. The ceilings were so high, bats were hanging in deep sleep on the rafters, Taehyung was amazed the room wasn't caked in guano. He was also amazed at how dark the room was, like this is what he expected Yoongi's bedroom to be like - victorian era decor, purple velour drapes adorning the windows, and a giant black marble fireplace on the far end wall with a mantel shaped like bat wings. This was almost comically stereotypical.

     Taehyung followed behind Yoongi as he advanced past the council members to the front of the room. Quite a few of them wore disgusted grimaces, eyeing him as he walked past. He wished for a moment the floor would swallow him up.

     “You dare to bring that foul creature here?” A council member seethed, glaring at Taehyung. Yoongi wasn’t about to put up with anyone putting Taehyung down, he grabbed the council member and pinned him to the table, causing the others to stand suddenly, protesting.

     “Don’t you fucking dare.” Yoongi’s teeth grew past his lip.

     “Enough. Both of you.” A large round man named Dokkur stood over Yoongi, grabbing his shoulder to pull him away. The pinned man scoffed loudly.

     “He does not belong here, either of them.” The man sat down, straightening his jacket.

     “Does anyone want to explain to me why a feculent is employed under Amelia and why she tipped off my bottom feeding cousin to do a hit on me?”

     “What are you talking about?” Dokkur backed up, staring daggers at Yoongi, “Explain.”

     “Nero, I’m sure you’ve heard of her.” Yoongi pushed past the man and went straight to the ominous looking guy at the head of the table that had not said a word, Amelia’s husband Jacob. His long white hair was pulled back off his face into a bun, his single-breasted navy blue Prada suit looked straight off the rack from a fashion show in Paris, and his scraggly white beard reminded Taehyung of a wizard described in a book about a harrowing tale of magic. He was a bit of a walking contradiction.

      Jacob nodded. “I’ve expected my wife of being a traitor for a while.”

     “That’s all you have to say?” Yoongi slammed his palms on the table, leaning in. “Stop her then.”

     “She has the majority of the council’s vote. 17-16.” Jacob stood, grabbing his cherry-wood cane and pushing his chair back to amble out and limp over to the fireplace. “Things have to be done a certain way around here, you of all people know this.”

     “Then swear me back in, my vote will tie it.” Yoongi hissed, “A stalemate.”

     A stalemate meant it would be taken to a higher power to be voted on, straight to the high council. Once a matter is taken to the high council, it is up to them to come to a unanimous decision, breaking a tie. The vampire hierarchy was a bit complicated, the first tier was made of the king’s council, half the members of the council were in this room right now. Usually, there were 34 members, but Yoongi being deranked made the council light one member. The second tier, also known as the high council were made up of 4 members, the vampire representatives that were part of the main council of species, they were the only ones that could overturn a king’s decision, they were in place so that no king could become too powerful. The last tier was the council of the gods, they rarely got involved in the matters of the common folk.

     The kings prior to Jihoon were always a pure-blood descendant of the vampire god himself. Yeolgwi had been in power for a long time, even before Yoongi was born. Preceding him was one of Yoongi’s great-uncles, the kind of man that made so many enemies, he was murdered in his sleep. Jihoon was only half-blood, his mother, Yeolgwi’s sister Simatra had chosen to marry outside of the five families, settling with a member of a small coven of Korean Bansipyres; banshee-vampire hybrids. Yoongi’s mother was the last descendant of the now extinct sixth family, the white-haired coven that was often thought to be the rejects of the race, it all came down to a recessive gene that nobody understood. She may have been a nomad and ousted from her family, but it did not soil her blood.

     “The council already decided, you were ousted.” Dokkur adjusted his spectacles, adamant.

     “And in the case of a coup, the laws state that I can be sworn back in.” Yoongi was irritated, “Jihoon and Amelia want to divide us, they want a war-“

     “You murdered your father in cold blood, no one would want to reinstate a traitor-“

     “My father and I made a deal for my freedom, he lost.” Yoongi protested, turning to Jacob. “They’ve already manipulated their way into changing laws, how much more damage do they need to do before we stand up to them?”

     “And what’s to stop you from murdering one of us?” Dokkur was obviously grasping at straws.

     Yoongi merely shook his head in disbelief, not about to resort to explaining himself against such ridiculous comments. “My father wanted me in this position, trust his judgment.”

     “I will not vote for your return.” Dokkur pledged and Yoongi glared at him.

     “A vote requires fifteen members, I don’t think we need you here then,” Yoongi smirked and the man went quiet.

      “I move for reinstating Yoongi as a member of the council, with Jihoon in power, everything we have worked hard for the last few years will be undone.” Another member piped in.

     “Yoongi’s ideals do not meet the requirements of the majority, I fear for the race if he were to be in charge-“

     “I do not ask to be in charge, I just want to do what’s right by my kind,“ Yoongi had to be sure he was making himself clear with his intentions, “Who becomes king after all this is over, is up to you all to decide.”

     “You’re expecting us to trust in you when you can’t even be proud of who you are?” Dokkur scoffed.

     “Let me make this clear, I know who I am, what I am..being part of Namjoon’s pack wasn’t some sinister plan of me forgetting where I came from.” He glanced at Taehyung. “I know everyone here doesn’t wish for the things to go back to the barbaric practices our kind have been so keen on-“

     “Your father was part of the ideals that Jihoon and Amelia are preaching, he may have made strides by creating the council and seeing the vampires had their voices heard, but he wasn’t so pure as to denounce the old ways.”

     “I’m well aware of his penchant towards the games and reestablishing the werewolf trade,“ Yoongi took a deep breath. “I also know many of you opposed his methods and worked against him to ensure a better future for the vampire race.”

     “I cannot trust you to do what is in the best interest of the covens.” Dokkur's intolerance was really starting to irk him.

     “Jihoon and Amelia took advantage of my hatred for my father, they conspired behind all our backs and have convinced at least half the council of their schemes. Their vision for our race is not what any of us want, they’ll take us down a dark path, you have to know that.”

     “Why did you hate your father so much?” A young female vampire spoke up, Yoongi diverted his attention to her, taken aback.

     “If you knew the hell he put me through growing up, you wouldn’t have to ask.”

     “But, if we are to vote you back in, to trust you, I think we should understand the reason behind your relationship with him.” She raised her eyebrow, “Hate is such a strong emotion.”

     Yoongi didn’t want to think about his childhood, much less talk about it. He looked at Taehyung. Taehyung nodded, placing his hand on Yoongi’s shoulder, letting him know it was okay. Yoongi took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the table, “I saw the things he did and the impact it had on my mother. He may not have been as evil as Jihoon and Amelia, but he used his power to do a lot of things I could never approve of, things our kind have ingrained into their souls." He paused for a moment, shaking his head, "He tried to force me into his way of thinking and mold me to continue on with his old school customs, but I promised my mother..and myself, that no matter what, I would never be like him, I would never be corrupt.”

     “I have to wonder then why if he knew you opposed, why he’d want you in charge?“ Dokkur challenged.

     “He believed only a pure-blood should take his place, “Yoongi surmised, “He was sure that I would eventually give in, be like him. The funny thing is, Jihoon was ideal to replace him, groomed by his mother to be the exact tool to carry on his beliefs, but he was too blinded by tradition.” Yoongi scoffed, "It was a huge slap in the face that he couldn't brag about me the way the other heads of council did with their children."

     The room was quiet for a moment, everyone had thoughts dancing in their heads, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Trying to weigh the pros and cons of Yoongi being back on the council.

     “We have a choice to make, “Jacob returned to the head of the table, breaking the silence. “If we are to all work together to oust Jihoon and my wife, then we will need to be united.”

     “They are going to try to take out any that oppose them, it will be better if we kept this allegiance and Yoongi's return quiet for now.” The woman spoke up, “Yoongi, I trust that when the time comes, you will have a case to state to the high council, proof of their wrongdoings?”

     Yoongi nodded. “I already have a significant amount of evidence.”

     “We’ve heard rumors of an alliance between him and the onyx demigod, Yoosun.”

     “We believe Yoosun is going to transcend Jihoon's powers.” Yoongi stood and turned to them all, “Namjoon and the pack are hunting Yoosun as we speak.”

     Taehyung knew ‘hunting’ was a bit of an exaggeration, they were still trying to figure out where he could be, the step just before hunting, the aggravating task of figuring out where a madman would be holed up while putting his plans in motion.

     “You will keep us abreast of the situation, we have people keeping their eye on Amelia.” Jacob cast his gaze downwards, staring at their faces. “All in favor of restoring Yoongi’s privileges as a member of this council?”

      Everyone with the exception of Dokkur raised their hands... and just like that, Yoongi was officially reranked as a member of the king’s council. _May the gods help me!_

 

     Later that night, after the horrendous cleanup of 16 South Street, including the throwing up that everyone seemed to do in the backyard that had become a nasty pile o' bile, Seokjin was back on the lab table to have his mind read, this time Yuta was weaving in and out of memories until he came to the exact one that had shut down Hoseok. Yoosun's 'relicti' was still there waiting, but Yuta was armed with the counterspell and destroyed it easily. He was able to see the area clearly, a river bank inside of a forest. He followed Cato and his family back to their house, determined to figure out where this little cabin in the woods was located. Nothing really stood out, no determining landmarks other than thousands of cloned pines and a ramshackle, barely painted red barn. He headed down their long driveway out to the dirt road that crossed a paved one about 100 meters up. A makeshift sign on the side of road warned any trespassers, "Enter Mortuus Forest and die a horrible death." He read aloud.

     Jimin began to type on his laptop - entering Mortuus Forest in the search bar.

     Namjoon leaned over Jimin's shoulder scanning the screen as several sites came up. The first two were dead ends, just crap sites that looked like a third grader had made them, most likely just old elementary school geography reports. The next two were 'set up your domain for blah blah bucks' advertising pages. The fifth site was a government page, (dot pda dot gov), the special supernatural government agency known as the Paranormal Defense Agency, where you needed a password to access the good stuff. From the main page, Jimin could make out where it was located - Mortuus Forest, Salem, California and who it was owned by - "Owned by Seong Kang and..Junghee Min?"

     "Yoongi's mom?" Namjoon was confused, "What the hell?"

     "We'll need to contact Abram for the password." Jimin urged. "Maybe he can find out more for us." 

     "Holy hell, Seokjin's childhood was..shit," Yuta exclaimed.

     Namjoon glanced over to Yuta, alarmed. "What do you mean?"

    "Eldwood Asylum, shock therapy to settle down anger and issues with changing early, pre-puberty." Yuta was standing behind a doctor seated at a desk, he was reading through a file that was opened up in front of him, a young Seokjin tethered to a chair across the room, looking like he was about to murder something. "Admitted by the mother when the patient was showing signs of extreme aggression at school. Subject has learned early transforming. Suspect subject is more than just a werewolf human hybrid, suggest father may not be human, perhaps shapeshifter-"

     "Amari didn't tell the doctor about him being part onyx?" Jimin was perplexed, "Why would she hide it?"

     "Good question." Namjoon scratched his head, "See what you can find out about Eldwood."

     Jimin nodded. Seokjin's body jerked several times and Namjoon directed his attention back over at them. Yuta hunched up his shoulders like there was a great pain in his neck, he winced, twitching his head sideways. "Dr. Ned Akiyama."

     Akiyama, Jimin has heard that name before somewhere.

     Yuta pulled his hand away suddenly and backed away, reciting, "Aperi oculus tuos."

     Seokjin opened his eyes, glaring at the ceiling.

     "Are you okay?" Namjoon asked, resting his hand on Yuta's shoulder.

     "There is some shit going on his brain, a lot of hidden memories," Yuta shuddered, "Someone put a spell on him to make sure he didn't remember."

    "Misae." Namjoon reckoned. "But I have to wonder why." He turned to Jimin, "Let me know what you discover, I'm going to go see Dagma and see what I can find out."

    "I didn't get good vibes from that doctor in his memory." Yuta clenched his jaw muscles, glaring at Namjoon. 

    "I'll be back later," Namjoon announced, heading to the door.

     Jimin gave a nod to Namjoon as he left the room then peered over at Yuta helping Seokjin to sit up. Seokjin seemed out of it, like he was still partially in a trance. Jimin imagined having two witches poking around in his head and destroying spells couldn't be good for him. "Is there a way to get him to remember any of this?"

     "Memory reversal spells are tricky, one wrong word and you can cause severe damage." Yuta began rubbing his temples, glancing over at Hoseok on the cot. "I'm gonna go get some air."

     "Okay." Jimin stood and walked over to Seokjin as Yuta made a hasty exit. "Hey, you should go find Jungkook."

     "Kookie?" Seokjin blinked his eyes, staring through Jimin. "Yeah, I'll go find Kookie."

     "I'll walk you up." Jimin reached down and grabbed his laptop, taking a quick look towards Hoseok. "I'll be back soon Hobi." He announced to the sleeping witch and turned as Seokjin wrapped his arm around him and they toddled out of the lab.

 

     Jimin set his laptop down on the table in his main room and reached over to grab a few pistachios from the bowl as he sat. He popped them out of the shell and into his mouth, opening his laptop. "Akiyama..Ned Akiyama." He wracked his brain trying to remember where he'd heard the name before.

     He took a deep breath and typed in his password and hit enter, it was time to get to work. A web page named 'Eldwood Asylum' suddenly popped up on his screen and he lurched back, covering his ears from the loud blaring music that invaded his speakers and died out just as quick. "What the fuck?"

     His skype chat box popped open and he moved closer to the screen, reading the name of the user - _Username Unknown._  

     **JIMIN 1:** you again.

     **USERNAME UNKNOWN:** You won't find Eldwood on the grid. Deep web info only. Don't know if you're ready for that yet.

     **JIMIN 1:** back to username unknown I see.

     **USERNAME UNKNOWN:** Look into Tor, set yourself up. search 'pooʍplǝ sǝıɹoʇs' second link.

     **JIMIN 1:** What am I going to find?

     **USERNAME UNKNOWN:** The truth. Just make sure you're ready to handle the consequences.

     **JIMIN 1:** what consequences?

     **USERNAME UNKNOWN:** Hurry. Seokjin doesn't have much time.

     **JIMIN 1:** what do you mean?...hello?

     "Shit." Jimin closed out of the chat when the blinking cursor did not move. Username Unknown has signed off, leaving him with one big question-   _Why the deep web?!_

     The deep web was a place he'd heard about but never dare visit, because it was where the bad people hid. Meredith's family lurked in the deep web, it's how they pushed their agendas and plotted their criminal activities without fear of the councils finding out.

     Taehyung sauntered into the room humming loudly and Jimin snapped his attention towards the doorway, closing the laptop. He cast his eyes on his brother like nothing was happening.

     "Hey." Taehyung grabbed some pistachios from the bowl and looked at him, "Yuta done with Seokjin?"

     Jimin nodded, contemplating whether or not he should fill Taehyung in on the conversation he just had with his hacker 'friend'.. "Have some research to do." He smirked, patting the top of his computer.

     "I'm gonna head to the lab and check on Hoseok, wanna come?" Taehyung pocketed some nuts and glanced up at Jimin.

     "I'll go soon, want to have something to tell Namjoon first."

     "Okay, see ya later." Taehyung practically skipped from the room and Jimin thought it better not to ruin his mood, though he wasn't quite sure why his brother was in such good spirits. _Of course, it's Yoongi._ He frowned, "Yoongi."

     He knew it best not to think of that right now, he had more important things to focus on, like keeping his sanity for one. Once you go to the deep web, you come back informed on exactly how fucked up the world is. Scary things from nightmares hid there, criminals selling drugs and pushing porn lived there. Snuff films, banned books, forums upon forums advertising fraud and murder and assault weapons and other various dealings from the black market existed there. This was not child's play.

     He flipped open his laptop and downloaded the Tor browser. Time to delve in, basking in one last moment of his 'pureness' concerning the good part of the internet. Task 1 - Eldwood Asylum. Task 2 - Mortuus Forest. Task 3 - one medium sized steak, rare. Task 4 - retiring to some village in the tropics and living his life as pain-free as he could manage. _Ha!_

 

* * *

Fun fact: Dokkur is my Fremennik name - if you know what game that is from, you get a cookie!!   _hehe_.    

 

 

 


	59. BONUS 9: Intermission

     

     Hoseok was standing on the steps that lead to the front walk, taking in the sunrise like it was a cure-all pill. It felt so good to see the orange and yellow hues pop up from the horizon and hear the birds singing their morning choruses. The hell that had taken over in his brain was still trying to keep him wrapped up in misery. A spare hallucination would invade his vision and make him question if he was still in this perpetual nightmare. At least being out in the chilly morning air made reality more real.

     "A feculent? Like in Brahm's stories?" Yuta's voice sounded and Hoseok turned to notice him and Taehyung coming around the side of the house.

     "A god-damned feculent, the house was..holy shit." Taehyung gasped, grabbing his stomach like he was reliving the smell, "The house smelled so bad, the carpets were squishy from all the body fluids. I had to burn my shoes."

      "That's disgusting." Yuta grimaced, "Did they find Nero?" 

     Yuta and Taehyung stopped in front of Hoseok.

     "No Nero," Taehyung looked up at the still pale witch that was staring back at him, "Hobi, you're out of bed?"

     "No, it's a hologram," Hoseok smirked. 

     "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Taehyung lectured.

     "I don't want to be cooped up in the lab anymore, plus this sunset..." Hoseok declared, holding his hands out to the horizon like it was a gift that nature had bestowed upon him. "Pure medicine."

     They all took a gander out at the far end of the property, admiring the yellow color wheel exploding into brilliant life.

     "Well, I won't argue that." Taehyung took a deep breath, it really was glorious this morning.

     "You feeling better?" Yuta asked.

     "Yeah, mostly," Hoseok answered, "Still seeing things."

     "That's normal, probably will for a few more days." Yuta looked up at the door as it opened. Jimin stepped out, the dark bags under his eyes suggesting he'd pulled an energy drink filled, all-nighter. "You look like Hoseok feels."

     Hoseok turned around, "Holy crap, you get any sleep?"

     Jimin shook his head. "But with what I found out, it was worth it...I hope."

     "What did you find out?" Taehyung was worried for his brother.

     "Ever heard of the deep web?"

     "I lurk there often, good place to keep abreast of any joke hoaxes," Yuta declared. "And buy banned herbs."

     "Eldwood is there," Jimin shuddered, "Seokjin's mind might be more fragile than we think."

     "How so?" Taehyung wondered.

     "I understand why Misae erased his memories, I wouldn't want to remember this shit either." Jimin shook his head. "But, good news, I figured out who Ned Akiyama was."

     "The doctor?"

     "I heard the name before and I realized that he's one of the head researchers at the Iceland facility that Seokjin inherited." Jimin leaned against the wall, rotating his neck to pop it. "I'm calling a pack meeting, easier to update everyone at once."

     "When?" Hoseok inquired.

     "As soon as Namjoon wakes up." Jimin informed them, "Seokjin doesn't know about the asylum yet either."

     "Now that Hoseok is awake, I suppose it's time to head back to Japan." Yuta seemed sad about the notion.

     "You should stay," Taehyung put his hand on Yuta's shoulder and squeezed, "Unless someone back in Japan is missing you?"

     Yuta shook his head, "Just me."

     Jimin perked up watching Yuta and Taehyung, maybe this guy was what his brother needed to get his mind off of Yoongi. That, though, was a worry for another day.

 

     Jimin and Taehyung were already in the library, Taehyung was leaned over watching Jimin play some first-person shooter game, cringing at his lack of instincts and trying to offer friendly advice on how to use special attacks and when to teleport, that only made Jimin play just that much worse. Yuta and Hoseok came in shortly after, sitting across from them.

     "Namjoon will be here in like 15 minutes," Taehyung informed them, not taking his eyes off the computer screen. "Jesus, have you heard of crouching?"

     "Have you heard of fuck off?" Jimin snapped.

     Harley was next to come in, looking like she had just rolled out of bed still dressed in fluffy yellow ducky pajamas. She yawned as she plopped down in the seat on the other side of Jimin, "That game again?" she mumbled out, leaning her head back to try to catch a few zzz's before the rest of them came.

     Jimin only smirked, immersed in the game, he didn't want to break his concentration.

     "You suck at this." Taehyung jibed him and Jimin missed dodging a rocket launcher to the face, subsequently perishing. He smacked his brother's arm for cursing his pixeled player.

 

     "So what's on today's agenda?" Namjoon walked into the room, stopping behind Harley's chair. "Where are Seokjin and Jungkook?"

      Yoongi, who had popped in five minutes before Namjoon, answered. "Behind you."

     Namjoon turned to see Jungkook and Seokjin entering the room, the two of them all smiles. "Jungkook, please have a seat."

     Jungkook and Seokjin exchanged glances as Jungkook took a seat next to Yoongi.

     "What's this all about?" Seokjin thought he was in trouble, but couldn't imagine why.

     Namjoon took a deep breath, placing his hands on the hybrid's shoulders, "Whatever you hear today is probably going to be disturbing-"

     "Namjoon?" Seokjin didn't know if he should be panicked, Namjoon's ominous warning and the sudden pack meeting meant something was up and it probably had to do with him..and maybe even his fault.

     "I just want you to know I am here if you need to talk." Namjoon squeezed, nodding.

     "Great." Seokjin was confused now, worried about whatever Jimin had found out was going to change his life, the pack's life forever. He watched Namjoon head over towards the window and sit in the chair at the far end of the table.

     "Eldwood Asylum, meaning elder wood, meaning the dryads. Take it back 4000 years, circa the 1600s when species had more freedom, the lands were kept in check by the ents.."

     "Walking trees?" Jungkook asked, brow raised to protest.

     "Not walking trees, not like your video game Folklore. Actual spirits born of dead trees, powerful beings that controlled how the species progressed."

     "The god puts them in place to make sure no one got out of hand.." Namjoon explained briefly.

     "But what exactly happens when you try to control things that weren't meant to be controlled?" Jimin questioned.

     "Chaos," Taehyung commented.

     "Chaos. The freedom war of 1640." Jimin drew up a webpage. "The dark web, our area of the deep web that the councils of today would like to keep buried."

     "What does this have to do with me?" Seokjin inquired.

     "Eldwood was a place built on the principal of that theory of control. The dryads ultimately were reduced from their deity status to live amongst those they tried to control. Obviously, that didn't bode well for the other species. They fled and kept to themselves mostly. Hiding out in forests as guardians of nature."

     "Are you saying I was in an asylum?" Seokjin was skeptical, "I think I would remember that?"

     "No, actually, you wouldn't." Jimin persisted, "Misae seen to that."

     "An asylum for what?" Jungkook asked, leaning up.

     "Control. It's a place that specializes in helping younglings to control their powers, more specifically dangerous species." Jimin pressed play on a video in the player on his laptop, and they all leaned in to view it. It was recorded in a large white room where there was no furniture, nothing at all but a looming emptiness that even the video was able to convey. The walls were clawed so deep, patches of concrete showed through the dirty white paint. In the middle of the room stood a doctor and a kneeled down lump of a child, a long-haired boy that had his hands secured behind him and was chained to the floor like an animal. "Seokjin was ten here."

    ++++++++++++++++++++

     "Seokjin, you're losing control again." Dr. Akiyama scolded him, taunting him just out of reach as young Seokjin lunged at him, gnashing his fanged teeth. "You cannot let the beast consume you."

     "Come closer, I'll show you control." Young Seokjin hissed.

     They all watched as the doctor took a shock stick and zapped Seokjin with it, making him convulse for a good twenty seconds. The action only seemed to fuel his anger, he turned immediately, stretching the chains to their limits so they snapped. He lunged at the doctor only to be sent flying backward by a spell the doctor recited.

    ++++++++++++++++++++

     "No." Seokjin paused the video, "That is not me. I would remember that."

     "There are four other videos of you, two at age 10, one at age 6 and the last one at age 14." Jimin closed out the video. "I downloaded them all."

     Seokjin shook his head, refusing to believe the validity of anything coming out of this house of horror. "Why was I there?"

     "Your mom didn't disclose your full story, she didn't want them to know you were an onyx hybrid or that you were the grandson of Cato, at the moment I am not sure why." Jimin opened a word document, "Yoosun only told us a partial version of what he did behind her back. He was secretly pushing you towards violent behavior, trying to break you of this bubble wrap she had you encased in. He wanted a killing machine."

     "Why?" Seokjin demanded, "What would he get from that?"

     "The doctor found out who you were and what Yoosun's intentions were. Everything in this file, everything they knew about you came from a soothsayer named Thortor Johansson, a famous Swedish oracle. Eight years worth of therapy is all in this file."

     "What was Yoosun thinking?" Namjoon said rhetorically, staring out the window as if it would give him answers.

     "Honestly, I think he planned to take Seokjin's power on his 18th birthday, he wanted Seokjin at his peak. Jacker had other plans obviously, so he never got to follow through with it." Jimin looked over at Seokjin, "Yoosun had no clue Amari had Seokjin at this place. She also had Misae wipe a lot of his memories, leaving only a cookie cutter vision of his past." Jimin surmised, "In fact, I don't think she told anyone about the asylum other than Misae."

     "Why did I have to go there though? Why not teach me herself?"

     "I wondered that too, seeing as Eldwood isn't exactly a nice place," Jimin cleared his throat, trying to think of an easy way to tell him what he learned. "Yoosun had you pitted up against other kids your age, from what I can put together, he started you at age 4 and it continued until you were 10. You always had an instinct for fighting and you were good apparently."

      Seokjin just stared at him, not sure what that all meant.

     "She found out when you were six because...you.." Jimin glanced at Namjoon, then back at Seokjin, "You killed a werewolf child when you couldn't control one of your transformations."

     Seokjin shrugged, somehow the notion didn't surprise him. "Okay?"

     "You drained him afterward, you shouldn't even have known how to do that," Jimin informed him. "I think that's when Yoosun realized how dangerous you were for his plans. For whatever reasons, Cato didn't show his son how to drain."

     "Because Yoosun isn't about following the rules." Seokjin pointed out, "He'll only ever be about himself."

     "You spent enough time with Cato that the oracle was able to get a pretty decent idea of Yoosun's and Cato's intent. Seems they argued a few times over your training."

     "What about Mortuus?" Yoongi asked, he was kind of curious why his mother owned half of this place, he wasn't aware that she knew Seokjin's great-grandmother. "What did my mother have to do with that place?"

     "Mortuus is an old vampire burial ground, she inherited it from her family when the last member died. Seong had somehow also had that member sign over half of the property many years earlier." Jimin opened a webpage, "I don't think Junghee ever knew she had inherited it."

     "Is the cabin still there?" Seokjin asked, just one shred of hope that his father would be hiding there awaited Jimin's confirmation.

     "Yes, satellite images show the cabin is still there." Jimin glanced over at Namjoon, "Halloween is a super blood moon-"

      "I am aware." Namjoon nodded, "The councils are on full alert."

     "Perfect night to murder your son as a sacrifice to bring back a demigod-"

     "Agreed."

     "Perfect night for a costume party." Jimin raised his eyebrows, suggesting the idea Harley had to have a party to unite the packs would also be the perfect opportunity to catch one crazed Onyx.

     "Won't Yoosun realize it's all just a trap?" Seokjin suggested.

     "It won't matter, he has no choice in the day it must be done." Namjoon surmised, he stood and leaned his palms against the table, "There are two weeks until Halloween."

     "Ample time to prepare," Yoongi smirked, he was more than ready to take Yoosun down.

     "I can have the invites out by tomorrow." Namjoon stood back up straight. "We need to make sure nothing goes wrong."

     "Leave security issues to us," Hoseok motioned towards Yuta and Yuta nodded.

     Harley looked alert for the first time since she arrived in the room, "So the costume party is a go?"

     Namjoon nodded, "Sky's the limit."

     Harley was ecstatic, a bubbly little shriek escaped her mouth, "Oh yes, thank you."

     Jimin squeezed her hand, "Yoongi, before I forget.." He fought with himself all morning on whether or not he should say anything to Yoongi about something he had found out about Junghee, deciding that keeping it from him would have been spiteful and would just make Taehyung bitch at him. Yoongi looked over at him. "Your mom left you something."

     "What?" Yoongi questioned, standing.

     "A journal, it's in a safe box in Castleton." Jimin slid a piece of paper with an address and a key, "The key was hidden in a book in this library before she died."

     Yoongi looked down at the key, picking it up slowly, he stared at it for a moment before palming it and grabbing the piece of paper. "Thanks."

     Jimin nodded and grabbed up his laptop, turning to walk over to Seokjin who was now standing at the window staring out, "If you need to see the other videos, you can come by later." 

     Seokjin only nodded, he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to see those videos.

 

     Seokjin wasn't good with patience, he knew Yoosun's hiding place, but he had to wait until Halloween to do anything. He felt a preemptive strike would be the best, his bastard of a father wouldn't suspect them to have found out where he was, let alone them showing up and catching him off guard. He grabbed his coffee cup, sighing.

     "Waiting is going to drive me crazy." Seokjin sulked.

     Jungkook smirked, "We can train, that will take your mind of doing anything half-assed."

     "Why would we wait until his knowledge of the spell is at the perfect time?" Seokjin poured himself some coffee and turned to Jungkook, taking a sip of the black liquid.

     "He's a powerful witch in his element, what do you think you'd accomplish?" Jungkook grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and sat down, "At least here, we can prepare fully, and the party will be a huge distraction-"

     "I just have a bad feeling." Seokjin took another sip of his coffee.

     "Any way you look at this is not ideal, but trust Namjoon," Jungkook assured him. He took a big bite of the apple and smiled a food-filled grin.

     Seokjin snickered, "We should do something tonight."

     "Really?" Jungkook exclaimed, muffled between chewing his apple. "Legit hangout?"

     "Yeah, without some looming crisis threatening us," Seokjin set his coffee down and walked over, leaning his forearms on the table, face to face with the younger. "I miss you."

     Jungkook gulped down the apple and planted a peck on the elder's mouth, unable to contain the shit-eating grin that swallowed up half his face. "What did you have in mind?"

     Seokjin grabbed the back of Jungkook's neck and pulled him in for a better kiss, locking lips with the younger, "Mmm, I miss that taste."

    Jungkook was not about to complain at the complete turn-around of Seokjin's mood, the elder wanted to spend time with him, then Jungkook was more than willing. He stood and reached out for Seokjin's hand. "I know what we should do."

     Seokjin smirked, he took the younger's hand in his, clasping their fingers. He stared into Jungkook's dark brown eyes. "Lead the way."

     Jungkook leaned in and kissed Seokjin tenderly. He missed this closeness, the feeling that being in love filled him with. He also missed the physical intimacy and was half tempted to just have Seokjin right here on the kitchen table and fought against himself to clear his minds of these dirty thoughts. He bit his lip as he broke free, "I love you so much."

     "Good, I was doubting it these last few days." Seokjin pouted, "I love you more than anything in this world, always remember that."

     "Before we get hung up on all this cringeyness, "Jungkook laughed, "The day is probably gonna end in really hard, filthy se-"

     Before Jungkook could finish his sentence, Seokjin had once again pulled the younger in for a kiss, "Doesn't it always?"

 

     Taehyung was standing in the doorway to the bank's safety deposit boxes, watching as Yoongi set a box down on the table in the middle of the room and took the key from his pocket. He looked over at Taehyung, who smiled at him, reassuring him he was there if Yoongi needed him.

     "Can't imagine why she would hide this away and not tell me about it." Yoongi took a deep breath and stuck the key in the hole, turning it and unlatching the boxes lock. He slowly opened it, half expecting it to be a trick and something would swallow him up into another dimension.

     Inside, like Jimin had said, was only a journal - a worn, leather-bound, thickened with colored papers jammed in between pages, dark brown book. Big, bold, bubble letters were written in sharpie on the middle of the cover, spelling out 'Junghee'. He took it into his hands, inhaling its essence - it smelled like his mother's perfume, though slightly musty from sitting for so long.

     Taehyung stepped into the room and closed the door, walking over to the table as Yoongi slinked down into a chair. The journal was displayed on the table top like a relic of ancient times, Yoongi was just staring at it. Taehyung half expected theme music to play out an enchanted tune like they had found the treasure of the century. "You okay?"

     Yoongi nodded, then shrugged, "What if what's in here are things I don't want to know."

     "She was a good woman, I can't imagine she had many secrets," Taehyung reassured him, hoping to Dagma herself that Junghee wasn't the devil in disguise and Yoongi's world wasn't about to be turned upside down. "Do you wanna be alone?"

     "No, stay. Please." Yoongi reached out and squeezed his hand. Taehyung nodded and sat across from him. Yoongi rested both his hands on the sides of it, running his palm over the cover. Squeezing the spine, he flipped open to the first page. There was an envelope taped inside with the words, 'My Dearest Yoongi' scrawled on the front. He pulled his hands back, stunned by seeing his name there. His face was scrunched up with several emotions running through him all at once..this was his mother's last communication with him, he had no clue if she wrote this on her deathbed or if it was something she jotted down when she was pregnant with him or during some random fight with his father. Whatever it was, was something she felt the need to tell him..and then have locked up for him to find one day.

     Taehyung didn't know if he should say anything or remain a quiet form of moral support, the look on Yoongi's face was something he'd never seen before, this letter was affecting him deeply, "Would you rather do this at home?"

     "I don't think it's gonna matter much where I do it." Yoongi picked the letter up and opened the flap. He took a deep breath and looked at Taehyung, "Can you read it to me?"

     Taehyung looked down as Yoongi held the letter out to him, "You sure?" 

     "Please." Yoongi nodded, biting his lip.

     Taehyung gently took the envelope from him and removed the piece of paper inside, he unfolded it and cleared his throat, glancing once at Yoongi to make sure it was okay to proceed. "Yoongi, if you're seeing this letter, then I am no longer with you. I know I raised you with enough courage and intellect to become the best version of yourself, I will not worry about you in the afterlife. I was always proud of you for standing up against the injustices our kind create."

     Yoongi covered his mouth with his hand, resting his face against his sweaty palm, fighting back the feelings that threatened to surface. He wasn't going to break down here, not in front of Taehyung. Taehyung glanced at him and Yoongi nodded once again prompting him to resume.

     "My son, my death probably came as a shock to you, not many vampires die of anemia. Had I been human, maybe the outcome would have been different. Your father did try to find a cure... but it's hard when the one thing you need to survive is poisoning you at the same time. I know your father had a lot of faults and you will read about them in this journal if you choose to, but please don't doubt that he did love me in his own cruel way. To spite our issues, I lived a decent life. My only hope for you is that you are better than we were, that you will fight the corruption we could not. I made sure you saw our reality in bright color, not sugar coating one bit of it. Change the world, son. Don't be the dark reality, don't fall into the politics. You are the only one left of my bloodline now. Two royal bloodlines came together to make you, feel proud of your heritage, but make the world know that you do not bow down and follow blindly. You'll learn of the prophecies and treachery involved if you haven't already. Do not falter, my son. I believe in you. Love, Mom."

     Taehyung set the letter down and Yoongi scooped it up quickly, folding it, he stuck it back in the envelope. "A lot less painful than I assumed." Yoongi set the envelope back into the journal and closed the book, glaring at it like it might catch on fire.

     "I didn't know she died of Anemia," Taehyung remarked.

     Yoongi stared up at the ceiling, a sarcastic laugh left his mouth as he inhaled, "Irony."

     "You wanna talk about it?" Taehyung was sure Yoongi would shut him down, but he had to offer, he knew Yoongi was hurting.

     A cold chill ran through Yoongi's body making him shiver. "I don't think this is the right place for me to say what I'm feeling."

     Taehyung nodded, resting his hand on Yoongi's, "We should take it and go."

     "Yeah," Yoongi felt the sudden urge to leave, the room felt like it was suffocating him. He stood, the chair scraping the wood floor as he slid it out.

      Taehyung stood and grabbed the safety deposit box and closed the lid, setting the metal container back into the wall. "Probably don't need this anymore."

      "I wonder who's been paying for this."

     "I'm sure they have a record of it somewhere." Taehyung walked to the door.

      Yoongi grabbed the key, pocketing the journal. "I'm going to have a talk with the manager."

     "You want me to come with?" Taehyung asked, opening the door.

     "No, you can wait in the car. I'm sure it won't be a huge deal."

 

     Yoongi hadn't intended to kill the bank manager, but things progressed from a 'please, can you tell me who paid for this box all these years' to an 'I'll fucking kill you if you don't tell me now'..and oops, jugular severed and blood pooling on the floor below the stout man's limp body. Taehyung looked down at the grisly sight and sighed.

     "What even.." Taehyung was beside himself. "Is this the huge deal you said it wouldn't be?"

     "He pissed me off," Yoongi wiped the blood from his chin and looked towards the door. "There are only three workers out there, we can handle this."

     Taehyung shook his head, "You're temper is legendary, let me tell you." Yoongi stifled a laugh at the face that Taehyung was making, disbelief was an understatement. "Hilarious, Yoongi. Really."

     "Calm down, it's a quick call to the cleanup crew." Yoongi took out his phone, "Just lock the door, I don't need anyone walking in and having a screaming fit." He stepped over the spot of blood on the carpet and ambled over to the window, dialing. Taehyung locked the door and took a quick gander out of the blinds to make sure nothing was rustling out in the lobby.

     "This is why humans kill us." Taehyung frowned, leaning against the door.

 

     Twenty minutes later, the cleanup crew arrived. The 'crew' consisted of two paramedics to take care of the body and a fake officer keeping the bank personnel from seeing anything inside the manager's office. 'Heart attack', they were informed and told to stay back. A body bag being wheeled by their horrified faces was the only indication that the man just died and there was no foul play. The two 'paramedics' cleaned up the blood and went on their way, leaving Taehyung and Yoongi to slip out without being noticed. The coroner would conclude that the man had indeed died from heart failure and that would end the whole ordeal. Vampires were known to get sudden cravings that resulted in unobjective murder, in other words 'Vampires will be vampires'.

     "Isn't this what your mother's letter warned you about?" Taehyung whispered as they exited the building, "She'd be turning in her grave right about now."

     Yoongi slipped on his sunglasses, "Just chill." 

     Taehyung stopped at the car, "What now? McDonalds? Maybe rough up the burger flippers?"

     Yoongi laughed, "You're coming unhinged, it's not that big a deal." He opened the car door.

     "You didn't see the little smiles on the faces of his children in that picture on his desk, you think they might think it's a big deal?"

     "I'll send them a fruit basket, jesus, just get in." Yoongi slid inside and shut the door, leaving Taehyung to stare at him from the sidewalk, mouth agape.

     "A fruit basket." Taehyung was incredulous, he opened the door and got in, starting up the car. "Did you at least find out who paid for the fucking thing?"

     "Yeah, she had an account set up to pay for it each month, enough money for three more years. If it hadn't been collected from the box by then, he was instructed to destroy it."

 

     Seokjin pinned Jungkook down on the sand. The fall carnival was in town and Jungkook had dragged him down to the boardwalk to spend the night engaging in normal young people behavior. The plings and dings of the games going on around them made their presence inaudible and the swirly rides cascading their colorful lights upon the night cast only enough light to make them visible to each other, but still enough in the shadows that no one could see them unless they were right on top of them. They weren't doing anything lude, but they knew at any moment, their little makeout session could turn into so much more.

     "I thought you wanted to ride the Ferris wheel?" Jungkook smirked, staring into the elder's lustful eyes.

     "Can't I just ride you instead?" Seokjin joked, kissing the younger's neck, earning an 'mmm' from Jungkook's swollen lips.

     "As amazing as that sounds, there are kids here and..." Jungkook closed his eyes, sucking in a big breath of air, Seokjin's lips on his collar bones was sinful.

     "And?" Seokjin leaned up and Jungkook could feel the hardness in the elder's pants.

     "You are killing me." Jungkook moaned, more than ready himself. "People..."

     "We're all alone down here." Seokjin looked around, not a soul on the beach within 200 meters. He kissed Jungkook's neck again, gently sucking down on the flesh that was pulsating beneath his lips. "I promise we'll go on the rides right after..spend all night on them if you want."

     Jungkook couldn't control the heavy breathing, he was turned on and he wanted Seokjin so very bad. "Fair trade." He huffed out, "If you brought the lube."

    _Shit._ Seokjin didn't think about that. "You're kidding."

     Jungkook pushed him off and rolled over to sit up. "It's the only way."

     "Kookie!" Seokjin whined making Jungkook smile.

     Jungkook stood, adjusting himself, he looked down the beach. "24-hour drug store right down the road."

     "Ugh." Seokjin yelled, "Fine."

     Jungkook pulled Seokjin up, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him in closer, "Top of the Ferris wheel, somehow it gets stuck..and so do you."

     "King of wordplay," Seokjin kissed his lips, "I'll meet you in line."

     Jungkook kissed him then patted him on his ass, sending him on his way.

 

     The view from the very top of the Ferris wheel was tremendous, the ocean reflecting the vivid carnival lights set the mood. Seokjin had paid the ride operator a couple hundred to get the ride stuck so that their car was at the very top, and to make it so they would be alone for at least half an hour. Informing him of the importance of a giving the rides a good break from time to time.

     Seokjin was straddling the younger, gripping tight onto the iron bars of the frame. His head cocked back staring up towards the roof, every thrust sent Seokjin deeper into ecstasy. Jungkook slipped off the elder's shirt, digging his claws into Seokjin's lower back, drawing blood as he ran his tongue over his sensitive parts, admiring how erect the cold and pleasure made the elder's nipples. The car swayed slightly from the motion as the two of them made love. Each up and down movement made Seokjin's ab muscles contract and relax, defining the ripples of the elder's fit body. Jungkook couldn't control it any longer, Seokjin was so perfect, too perfect. He moaned out his name and Jungkook was done for.

     "I couldn't hold it." Jungkook's heavy breathing turned into a small laugh, he leaned against Seokjin's sweaty chest.

     "It's okay," Seokjin tilted his head down to kiss Jungkook, "Think our time is almost up anyway."

     A slight breeze blew both their hair back and they both shivered realizing when not moving, the air was a bit too chilly. "Damn, it's cold."

     Seokjin slid off of Jungkook and reached for his pants, swaying with the car's movement, he slipped them on and reached for his shirt. The blaring music that filled the whole area with upbeat tunes began to slow up and drag out into a sluggish melody making the voices of the singer sound like an evil demon had begun to sing the chorus. The spotlights shut off one by one until just the Ferris wheel was lit up like a glorious main attraction. They quickly finished dressing to look out through the bars, trying to focus their eyes in the darkness below. Everyone was frozen like time had stopped, stuck in whatever positions they had been in moments before.

     "What's happening?" Jungkook yelled over the wind that began to howl against the Ferris wheel cars, making them shake. Seokjin slipped and crashed into the side, steadying himself against the seat.

     "Yoosun?" Seokjin called out. The wind picked up, shaking the car even harder.

     "They're all weak, Seokjin." Yoosun's voice called out from somewhere below. Seokjin stood and plastered his face against the bars, trying to locate his father like some sinister 'Where's Waldo' puzzle.

     "Where are you?" Seokjin yelled, turning to Jungkook who looked like a deer caught in headlights. Yoosun's menacing laughter rung out and Seokjin once again stared through the bars only to be met with the same darkness as before.

     "One simple spell paralyzes them all, it would be so easy to slaughter them right here." Yoosun spat.

     "We need to get off here," Seokjin whispered to Jungkook, the younger nodded vigorously.

     "Why didn't you just say something." Yoosun laughed. In one swift motion, the ferris wheel began to spin, jolting them sideways as each motion jerked the car just a few feet at a time.

     "He's going to kill us," Jungkook yelled out, smacking his head on the seat as it came to a stop once again.

     "Yoosun!" Seokjin growled, his eyes turning black.

     "Are you not having fun yet Seokjin?" Yoosun taunted,  "You used to love these places as a kid." 

     "What are you trying to prove?" Seokjin bent down to Jungkook, moving the younger's hand away to try to see the damage. It was a small gash, bleeding pretty heavily for such a teeny wound.

     "I'm okay." Jungkook pushed Seokjin's hand away and leaned against the seat, pressing his hoody to the cut.

     Seokjin stood up and jumped back as Yoosun's face appeared in front of his, just behind the bars. He was just floating there staring at them. "Yoosun!"

     "Boo." Yoosun cackled as he raised his hands, yelling out, "Volant!"

     Seokjin's body was thrust backward, hard against the door of the car. He huffed out as Yoosun drew his hands back and once again expelled Seokjin towards the metal door, this time breaking it off the hinges. Seokjin floated there for several moments before he realized he was at least thirty feet in the air with only his father's magic holding him there.

     "Seokjin!" Jungkook lunged forward, reaching his hand out to try to grab the elder, but Yoosun was on him in seconds. 

     Yoosun held up his left hand, shouting, "Pulso."

     Jungkook was sent backward, hitting the bars of the car and falling to the floor, unconscious. He concentrated back on his son, his arms and legs dangling mid-air, dizzy from being tossed about like a ragdoll.

     "You shouldn't have snooped Seokjin." Yoosun snarled, "Bad things happen to curious people. Have I taught you nothing?"

     "What do you want?" Seokjin was growing tired of this, he squirmed, trying to break free of the magic.

     "I'm stronger and smarter than you, there is no way you can stop me." Yoosun was too smug.

     "Namjoon is stronger than you, he can stop you." Seokjin flashed his fangs at his father, smirking.

     "You dare to compare me to that fool?" Yoosun let out a demented laugh that sent goosebumps up Seokjin's spine. "He gave up his immortality for a bunch of misfits."

     "Careful Father..you're beginning to sound like Jacker, he was too confident in his skills too." Seokjin stared straight into Yoosun's cold dead eyes, "And you know what I did to him."

     "You may be a chip off the old block, but you're lacking the one skill I possess that will take you all down."

     "Magic?" Seokjin shook his head, "You and dozens of others, your skills aren't unique."

     Yoosun became enraged, his son mocking him sent him into a little tizzy, he drew his hands back and suddenly Seokjin's body began to fall, Seokjin reached out, grabbing the steel frame of the Ferris wheel, jarring his arms as he stopped the weight of his body from falling further, hanging on as he dangled there. He winced at the pain in his arms. "Do not mock me, Seokjin."

     "Give it up Father, you're just prolonging the inevitable." Seokjin sneered, trying to get his footing.

      "Let's see you try and stop this one." Yoosun floated back down to the ground and held his hands up. The car that Jungkook lay unconscious in, began to tear away from the frame, the cables snapped one by one with an echoing 'poing', releasing the car into the air. He held it there long enough for Seokjin to realize what he was planning.

     "NO.." Seokjin yelled.

     Yoosun sent the car flying at full speed into the water, it's impact sent a splash of water a good fifty feet into the air. "You have nothing without that useless lump."

     "Jungkook-" Seokjin swung his legs and let go, landing hard on the pavement below, swaying sideways as he caught himself from falling. He raced straight through the unmoving crowd to the end of the pier and jumped off into the icy water within seconds. The car hit the bottom as he dove down, 10 feet below the surface as the waves churned the water about, making it tough for Seokjin to swim downward. The water was dark, it was hard to make out where the car had landed. Before he could swim down further, he noticed a white-haired swimmer diving down below him, straight to the bottom like a flash disappearing into the murky abyss. _Yoongi!_

     Yoongi dragged Jungkook out of the water and pulled him up onto the sand of the beach where Taehyung was standing, bending down to the younger. Jungkook wasn't breathing, his lips bluer than the sea he was pulled from. Taehyung kneeled down beside Yoongi and began to give Jungkook CPR.

     "Don't you fucking die now kid." Yoongi leaned up, counting to 20, he pressed on the younger's chest and then waited as Taehyung breathed air into his passageway. They did this several times as Seokjin came running up the beach, skidding to a stop on the other side of Jungkook. The younger gurgled and spit up some water, it splashed over his cheeks like a fountain exploding. Seokjin turned him on his side as he threw up the rest, coughing in some air.

     "Oh my fucking god," Seokjin took the younger into his arms, letting him lean his face against his leg as he spat up more water.

     "What happened?" Taehyung sat in the sand, hard, his hand on his chest practically holding in his heart from bursting through.

     "Yoosun." Seokjin stammered, tightening his grip on the younger, glaring at Yoongi. "How did you know where we were?"

     "Saw the boardwalk was dark, it's never dark." Yoongi stood, wringing the water out of his hoody. "Everyone was frozen."

     "Then we saw the Ferris wheel car go flying," Taehyung added, taking off his jacket and offering it to Yoongi.

     "What did he want?" Yoongi wrapped the coat around himself and turned back to Seokjin.

     "A warning?" Seokjin shrugged, "I dunno."

     "Pretty epic warning," Yoongi glanced back at the boardwalk, the lights and music had resumed and spectators were gawking at the Ferris wheel that was now missing one of its cars. All Seokjin cared about at this moment was getting Jungkook home and making sure he was okay.

 

     Seokjin was leaning on the gazebo railing, staring up at the sky, the sparkling stars were so peaceful, not one indication of what had happened earlier. He was in awe as he gazed upward, the night hiding the look of torment on his face. Yoongi joined him moments later, admiring the same star-filled sky. "Hey."

     "Jungkook asleep?" Yoongi asked as he sat down next to Seokjin, zipping up his hoody. He hadn't quite warmed up from the chilled water he spent a good five minutes of his life submerged in.

     "Yeah," Seokjin looked over, "You saved his life."

     Yoongi shrugged, "I just go there a little faster, you would have had him if I wasn't there-"

     "Not in time. No way." Seokjin ran his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes to block out the thoughts of 'what if' that lurked inside. 

     "Night vision is handy sometimes." Yoongi smirked, resting his hand on Seokjin's shoulder, "The important thing is, he's okay."

     "I'm gonna fucking kill Yoosun-" Seokjin seethed, "He's fucking dead."

     "I'll be there holding him down for you," Yoongi promised. "He and Jihoon can go to hell together."

     Seokjin closed his eyes, calming himself down. The hatred he felt for his father was elevated past any amount of contempt he'd ever had for Jacker.

     They sat in silence for a good ten minutes before a cricket broke the elder of his daydream.

     "It's getting late," Yoongi remarked, exchanging glances with Seokjin.

     "Yeah," Seokjin stood, turning towards Yoongi. "I'm gonna head back up, don't want to leave him alone for too long."

     "Of course." Yoongi nodded, standing. "Go, I'll see you in the morning."

     Seokjin hugged Yoongi, wrapping his arms around the startled vampire. "Thanks."

     Yoongi was taken aback, but grinned at his best friend, watching as Seokjin headed back up towards the house. _What a night._  He glanced back up at the sky, "Just one easy, uneventful night?" _Fat chance._ He took out his mother's journal and sat back down on the railing, opening it. Settling in for a long read. "Time to learn about your deep, dark secrets." He exhaled. Ready or not.

 


	60. BONUS 10: Emanation

       NOTE: Sorry I had to fix this chapter, I messed something up. I also went and fixed chapters 1-59 as well. Added details, fixed grammar, made everything sound better. Halloween chapter is drafted out now, just need to detail it and hopefully have it out within a few days!!!!

 

     Seokjin glared up at the front of his grandfather's estate, the usual ominous feeling that poked the pit of his stomach seemed extra aggressive today, even in the bright daylight it was eerily foreboding. He glanced over at Jungkook who wore the same glum expression as he, neither of them liked this house, they both just wanted to hurry and get this all over with.

      Yoongi shut the car door and stopped next to Seokjin, taking a quick peek up at the attic window. It was dark, darker than it should have been with the sunlight shining through it. It's like the light just wouldn't penetrate the room no matter how hard it tried. It made his growing unease feel like a heavy blanket of doom. Yoongi wasn't easily scared but this house had a way of casting doubts on his bravery meter.

     "Remind me again why we need to go in there?" Jungkook shook his head, every ounce of his being said this was a terrible idea.

     "The fairy said we'd find answers here-"

     "That same fairy would also be a hero if somehow Cato's house were to swallow you up." Yoongi reminded him.

      Seokjin smirked and hurried up the steps to the front door, no ghost or malicious entity was about to stop him from discovering the secrets within the house...and even more important, discovering how to beat his father.

     "It's never too late to be sensible," Jungkook suggested.

     "It's gonna take more than a house to take me down," Seokjin assured him.

     "You really think it's gonna be as easy as walking in and having all the answers fall from the ceiling?" Yoongi queried.

     "I think nothing in my life has been easy so far." Seokjin thought for a moment, "Why start now?"

     Yoongi and Jungkook exchanged worried glances, then realizing how much they still disliked each other, trudged up the steps behind Seokjin, watching as he inserted the key and let the door swing back and hit the wall with a big ol' thud. A slight wind blew their hair back, almost like a ghost was whispering a cautionary warning as they crossed the threshold, _Turn around now, before it's too late._ It sent chills up their spines and they all did a synchronous shudder, shaking off the gloom that was threatening to penetrate their souls.

     "I feel like yelling 'it's a trap' would be very appropriate right now." Yoongi's face was a full out grimace. Jungkook had to stifle a giggle.

     The familiar dank smell hit their noses the second Seokjin closed the door, the foul aroma of decay reminding them that the evil that lived here had not yet left and did not take kindly to trespassers. In other words - shit was about to get serious. Jungkook couldn't shake the dismal thoughts jumping around in his brain, a little voice in his mind warning him to run as fast as he could out of this abomination of a house and not turn back. The smell of death was strong, but his will to remain resolute for Seokjin was stronger.

     "So which room do you prefer to meet your doom?"  Yoongi stopped in the doorway to the living room refusing to look at the painting above the mantel, not needing a reminder of how it watched them. "Attic or basement?"

     Seokjin knew his best friend was giving him one of those 'This is stupid' looks and _wasthisclose_ to giving him a piece of his mind, "Need I remind you that _you_   volunteered for this?"

     "Wouldn't be my first dumb mistake." Yoongi scoffed, not nearly as offended as he sounded.

     "If this is the part where we split up, I'm going with you, Seokjin." Jungkook's raised eyebrows turned towards the vampire, "No offense Yoongi."

     "I'm sure that was full offense, but trust me, I'd rather die alone than with your dumb ass." Yoongi took off his sunglasses and stuck them in his pocket. "This time, I'll go top," Yoongi smirked evilly as he pushed Jungkook aside and headed towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

     "Dick," Jungkook mumbled under his breath as he watched the skinny vampire disappear up the steps. He turned to Seokjin once again, "So, what are we looking for exactly?"

     Seokjin shrugged, he wasn't entirely sure. Something drew him to this house, calling to him in his dreams. He didn't dare tell the younger about them because he knew Jungkook would never approve of them coming here. Prophetic bullshit was not something Seokjin subscribed to, he _knew_ he was responsible for creating his own fate, in spite of the whole white wolf/onyx wiping out the werewolves prophecy. As far as he was concerned, everything he was doing was to disprove it all, to prove that people were wrong about him. "I'm probably wasting our time and this is all a dead end, but something has to be here."

     "Why would the fairy lie.." Jungook was being sarcastic, but Seokjin ignored it.

     "Indeed." Seokjin opened the basement door and held his arm out for Jungkook to go first, smirking. "After you."

 

     Yoongi cracked his neck rotating his shoulders, preparing himself for an agonizing death. Slowly he reached his hand out to grasp the cold steel of the attic's doorknob, wishing he wasn't so easily swayed by Seokjin's whims. The knob turned freely, but the door wouldn't budge - it was like something..or someone..had glued it shut. He placed his ear to the wood and listened, not a sound on the other side, so he pushed against the door, thinking maybe it would become unobstructed if he applied a little force. Nothing. _Shit._ He was going to have to break the thing down.

 _Okay ghost, let's see what you're made of._ He rolled up his sleeves, clutching the knob once again, he bumped his shoulder against it a few times, but it was like the harder he pushed, the more the door resisted. "Well, the good thing is..if I break my bones, they'll mend fast." He mused, shaking his head. _This is dumb, I don't even know what I'm looking for._

     He took a step back, wiping the sweat from his chin, he mustered up some energy and slammed himself into it, putting a small crack in the panel. _Thou doth not protest?_ Yoongi smiled, somewhat relieved. The door was not jinxed, it was probably just stuck from no one having opened it for so many years. The next hit would be powered by vampire strength and he would be inside in a matter of seconds. 1,2,3...  he flung himself full force towards the wood.

     The room had other ideas. Before Yoongi's shoulder could make contact, the door flew open and it was like a vacuum had sucked him inside. He flew across the room with such a fury, that he hit the wall on the far side and nearly put a hole clean through. He hit the ground hard, coughing out as plaster pieces plunked the hardwood all around his head, scattering the decade's old dust in a ring of lung-clogging particles. What a sight he was lying there on his back like a sack of jelly, wincing as the ceiling came into view above him, only to be swallowed up by the darkness in a matter of seconds.

     "Fuck you." He called out to no one, cursing the home with a fervor of pure hatred. A sudden throbbing in his arm made him peer over, noticing blood was staining the sleeve of his hoody, he quickly lifted his appendage pulling it up from a protruding nail that had pierced his flesh. He grabbed the fabric as he stood up, feeling the wound tingle as it closed. _I swear to the gods, S_ _eokjin_ _, if this house doesn't kill you, I will._

     His spilled blood had pooled into a neat little puddle on the floor by the time he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight app. Rising up, it evaporated into the air, swirling around in a circle like pattern before bursting and fizzling out. The room was absorbing it, consuming a part of him. He swung around, nervously shining the light against the four walls, ready to defend himself if something were to come at him. The air felt heavy suddenly, goosebumps formed on his skin like tiny little mountains sprouting up... Yoongi knew he wasn't alone anymore.

     "Yoongi." Something whispered. Yoongi turned around, facing the window, his beam of light focused on a large silhouette as it materialized before him, expanding upwards, building itself in front of him; bone, blood, then skin forming into an opaque life form, it covered the small amount of sunlight that was visible from the outside, a big black void that Yoongi was stuck in the middle of. "Yoongi. I know what you want."

     "An exorcist?" Yoongi joked, trying to ease his mind a bit.

     "I can give you what you seek" It breathed out like a symphony was circling the room, the more it talked, the more Yoongi wanted to engulf himself in its outstretched arms.

     "Misae?" Yoongi had a sense of familiarity, this entity's life-force seemed friendly. _It wants to deceive you, don't fall for it._ "I'm not that dumb, try again."

     "Jihoon has the power now, you won't be able to take him down without my help." The voice was soothing, like a lullaby. Not Misae, but it was definitely female.

     Yoongi shook his head. "I'll take him down without your witchery."

     The voice laughed, it's menacing tone made Yoongi cover his ears. Whispering filled the room and would not stop, over and over it called out his name, taunting him. "Accept my gift, Yoongi. End it all now."

      "I don't need your help," He growled.

     "Jihoon's power will grow past what you can control." The voice changed, it became rougher, "You know what they're up against-"

     "What are you talking about?" Yoongi was perplexed, who could _she_ mean?

     "He would do anything to protect the both of you, even if it costs him all that he is-"

      "Seokjin?" Yoongi could feel the color drain from his face.

     "If Jungkook kills Jihoon, it will cause a ripple effect, one that no one can recover from," The voice grew hoarse, "But you can stop it before it happens, just take the power, save them from doing a horrible thing."

     "I don't understand-"

     Several whispers spoke at once, echoing the same words, "If the white wolf kills the vampire king, he will wipe out your entire race." 

     "Yoosun needs the white wolf to kill Jihoon for his plans to work." A stronger whisper filled his ears, piercing his brain like a tiny invisible needle.

     "Jungkook can't wipe out a race by killing off one vampire," Yoongi objected.

     "Yoosun's spell connects them all, every victim Jihoon depletes, it corrupts the bloodline..it latches onto another vampire and makes it a part of him-"

     "Jihoon's lust for power is causing them all to be linked-" Another voice interrupted.

     "Bullshit-" Yoongi shook his head, "That's not possible."

     "Yoosun has already written his own laws of magic." The voice reminded him.

     "Yoosun needs the white wolf to kill Jihoon, the ripple effect will consume them all, they will all die." The first voice became hard, threatening.

     "All of them?"

     "Every single one..including yourself." The whispers stopped and the voice became softer, "Yoosun's alliance with the vampires is a ruse, he needs them gone for his plan to work."

     "He wants to enslave the werewolves, the onyx would reign as the superior race." The voices took turns filling his brain.

     "The Onyx cannot drain vampires, so they are useless to him." The voice cackled.

      "And Yoosun will not share his empire with the vampires. He thinks of you as an inferior race. He will use the white wolf to carry out his plan."

     "If white wolf eliminates Jihoon, the vampires will perish."

     "Then how can I take him out now?" Yoongi shook his head, this thing was trying to con him.

     "On the blood moon, the spell will be complete." The voice sang out, "You will all be linked."

     "You need to kill him at the party on Hallow's eve, before he takes his last victim."

     "Yoosun convinced the vampire king to make his last victim the only person that he sees as his equal, the only one that Yoosun's sees as a threat.. Jihoon must take out Yoosun's enemy as payback for Yoosun's help."

     "Seokjin?" Yoongi thought allowed. _No, Yoosun plans to sacrifice Seokjin_   ..."Jungkook?"

     "Without my power, you will die. Seokjin will be consumed with rage if he loses you, what he will do next will unravel the very universe you all seek to protect. You must prevent this, Yoongi."

     "With my power, you can stop this all from happening-" The voices continued, "You want to be the one to kill Jihoon, he wronged you...he betrayed you."

     "Jungkook should not have such an honor," The voice knew Yoongi's inner thoughts, it appealed to the vampire code of honor, "Only a vampire should kill a vampire."

     Yoongi's head was swimming, he could not deny that the voices were right, he wanted to be the one to snuff out Jihoon. His cousin betrayed him, made him an outcast... "No...It's a trick-"

     "How embarrassing that he played you so well."  The voice taunted, "This is all your fault Yoongi. You must fix this. You must be the one to kill Jihoon."

     "With my power, you can do that."

     "With my power, you can help Seokjin kill Yoosun, he cannot do this alone..even with the white wolf he is not strong enough."

     "Yoongi, you up there?" Seokjin's voice called from the distance and Yoongi jerked his head towards the door.

      _Seokjin._

     "You need to make a decision Yoongi. Do you wish to save your friends from this horrific curse or will you let them perish?" The voice became panicked, Yoongi didn't know what to do. Should he believe what the voices were telling him? How did he know this wasn't one of Misae's tricks?  _The clues are there Yoongi, you know what they speak is the truth. Why else would Yoosun help Jihoon?_  The whispers came back, stronger than before and once again  Yoongi covered his ears, trying to block them out. _Take the power. Take the power._ It chanted over and over, each time growing louder and louder. He couldn't think, he was suffocating. _TAKE THE POWER_.

   

     Seokjin knocked on the door, thinking Yoongi was either on the other side stuck or had already left the attic..or worse, maybe a dark magic consumed him and was chewing his mangled flesh, about to spit him out like a gross piece of food. Seokjin shook the notion off, this house really put weird thoughts into his head. "Yoongi, we're leaving. This was a dead-end."

     A light flooded the room inside and Seokjin could see the luminescence shine through the cracks in the door, glowing out in a purple haze. He backed up, staring at it, mesmerized. A sudden pang of dread overtook him, filling him with worry. Maybe those stray thoughts weren't so wrong. "YOONGI?"  He banged on the door harder, thumping against it with his weight. "Yoongi, open the door." On the third attempt, the door flung open. The bright light died down at once and Yoongi came into focus, standing there with a sinister expression spread across his face, he caught Seokjin by the shoulders just in time so he didn't fall.

     "Sorry, it wouldn't open-" Yoongi cleared his throat, looking a bit uneasy. He swatted away the dust that was floating in the now visible sunbeam that was shining from the window behind him.

     "I saw a light, are you okay?" Seokjin straightened up, looking at his best friend for signs of trauma..or teeth marks.

     "I'm fine, the room had some sort of spell placed on it, it's gone now." Yoongi headed into the hallway, "Did you find anything?"

     "Nothing useful, just a headache." Seokjin joined him, taking a quick glance behind him, then closing the attic door. "You?"

     "Nothing but dirt." Yoongi rubbed his arm, forgetting about the blood stain.

     "You're hurt!" Seokjin grabbed Yoongi's arm, but Yoongi pulled it away just as quick.

     "I'm fine." Yoongi backed away from Seokjin, feeling an urgency to leave. "It healed."

     "What about the spell?"

     "We should go." Yoongi didn't wait for Seokjin to answer, he was off down the stairs within seconds, leaving behind a flustered hybrid.

     "Okay then?" Seokjin shook his head, wondering if he should be concerned about Yoongi or the light he saw.

 

     Taehyung felt something was off all day, a growing anxiety inside him that he couldn't shake off. It wasn't any one person or room in the castle that he particular feelings about, so he was sure it was just nerves. Thinking about the upcoming Halloween party and knowing what Yoosun was planning put everyone on edge. Everyone but Harley who was oblivious to anything that might exist outside the four walls she was settled in. He watched her from the doorway as she sat in the middle of what used to be the dining room, with lists and plans strewn about in front of her like some homework run rampant.

     Harley was in her element, turns out she had quite the knack for planning parties. After mulling over the color scheme for the first two days, discussing the amount of guests on the list with Namjoon on the third, and setting up a menu for hors d'oeuvres with Hoseok on the fourth, it was decided that a less modern approach would be the way to go, Namjoon felt that a more traditional theme would make it easier, not only to keep track of who was coming and going, but to appeal to all ages of creature. By traditional, they decided that Victorian masks and garb would be the best - Masquerade ala creature of the night.

     With the help of magic, Namjoon was able to expand the dining room into a giant ballroom - complete with a darkened black and gold color scheme, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, and a vaulted domed ceiling that brought the night sky alive. But, who knew setting up a ballroom would be such an arduous task - she had the manpower to help her, but it was just a never ending of 'put that there, no, not there'...or 'wait a moment, I think I like it better over there'. Two people had given up already and told her to let them know when she knew for sure where she wanted everything. Jimin reminded her she was doing a great job and she just needed to calm down, draw up a floor plan, figure out what she wanted to happen at this party and the rest would just come to her.

     She had to plan out her own costume as well, but she had a good idea of how she wanted to dress; Harlequin, jester mask, pigtails in red and black, cute little pointy shoes with bells on them, and checkered mask to cover just her eyes. She would look all the part of her namesake, Harley Quinn. 

     "You were actually subject 666?" Jimin had asked her one day when they discussed how Harley chose her name. "That's wicked cool."

     "Harley Quinn was my hero." She reminisced, "It was the only thing we were allowed to do that wasn't training related, pick our own names."

 

     Taehyung was supposed to scope out the house for the purpose of installing cameras - high-quality security cameras to cover every inch of the house. Since Yuta and Hoseok were going to handle the security, it would help a bunch if they were able to see what was going on in the house and on the grounds. Yuta was outside already, covering the perimeter of the property - picking hidden areas in the trees or bushes or along the roof. He had made it down to the front gate and was on the roof of the small guard house scouting for the best place to set the thing up to capture both the roadway and the driveway. He was five seconds away from just giving up when he noticed a cluster of black feathers gliding overhead - a raven was circling the grounds. A raven was an ill omen, the last time he had seen one was the night when his parents died, the first time he had seen one, his brother was carried away by a tsunami. He swallowed the glob of spit in his mouth and looked back towards the castle, a look of panic etched across his face. Someone was going to die.

     "Everything okay?" Taehyung had stopped at the edge of the driveway and was staring up at him, Yuta looked down at Taehyung and then back up at the sky, the bird was gone.

     "Did you see the raven too?" Yuta asked, hoping it was just some nerves manifesting themselves into hallucinations.

     Taehyung nodded, "Yeah, briefly."

     "It's a bad sign," Yuta jumped down off the roof into the grass, "Every time one appears, someone dies."

     "Yoosun will die, so it's a good thing, right?" Taehyung was hopeful but coupled with the uneasy feeling he'd been having all day, he wasn't convinced. 

     "I'd like to believe that, but in reality, it could be anyone." Yuta uttered, "We can't assume it's all gonna go smoothly."

     Taehyung sighed. Yuta was right. Yoosun was powerful, it was foolish to think someone on their side might not get hurt. There were just too many ways the scenario could play out, and if Yoosun could combine spells now...everyone was at risk.

     Yuta peered off down the road, a familiar black object came into sight, Seokjin's car was fast approaching, "They're back."

   

     Yuta and Taehyung joined the trio as they exited the car, they all looked drained and disappointed, but Yoongi looked an extra shade of pale and Taehyung thought that he might be sick - he was sure being inside that house wasn't good for anyone, but at least Jungkook and Seokjin didn't look like death walking.

      "Did you find anything?" Yuta broke the silence.

     "No, not one fucking thing." Seokjin leaned against his car, exasperated. "The only other thing I can think of  is maybe a witch needs to open up some channel of communication."

     Yoongi clenched his teeth, if only Seokjin knew what had happened, how a witch had, in fact, opened up a channel..a channel that allowed Yoongi to know things he shouldn't have. A channel that allowed _something_ to get into his head. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Taehyung, he felt guilty. "I'm gonna go find Hoseok."

     "Yoongi?" Taehyung called after him as he watched Yoongi open the front door and disappear inside. He turned back to Jungkook, "Is he okay?"

     Jungkook shrugged, "He was quiet on the ride home." The younger turned to Seokjin, shutting his car door. "I'm getting a shower."

     Seokjin nodded, not looking at the younger as he walked off. He turned to Yuta and Taehyung, determined to forget he had wasted a whole afternoon on some stupid clue hunt, not wanting to think that he had been duped.  "How's the surveillance?"

     Taehyung let out a small titter, "Yeah, well...it's time-consuming."

     "Seokjin, just before you guys pulled up, we saw a ra-" Yuta started, but Taehyung gave him a wide-eyed look that made him instantly stop talking, he stuttered, "I, uh.. I mean.."

     "A rat, rats in the guard house, Seokjin doesn't need to worry himself with such trivial things."

     "Oh yeah, of course." Yuta's furrowed brow and questioning look made Taehyung wrap his arm around his shoulder, pulling him aside before he could give anything else away.

     "We're gonna get back to work now," Taehyung smirked and turned away from Seokjin, dragging Yuta around the corner of the house and out of sight. Taehyung peeked back around, making sure Seokjin was heading inside.

     "What the hell?" Yuta questioned, quite sure that Taehyung was losing his mind, "What was that?"

      "They don't need those thoughts in their heads," Taehyung explained, turning back to face the confused witch. "Can you imagine the worry he'd have if he knew there was a raven flying around?"

     "Okay, I see your concern," Yuta slumped against the house, sullen. "I guess it is kind of silly to warn them about an omen that might not even mean what we think."

     "Let's just get these things installed so we have their backs." Taehyung took a camera from his pocket, "We have a few hours left until sunset."

 

     Seokjin got a strange vibe from Yoongi as he watched the white-haired vampire walk across the ballroom towards Jungkook to hand him a hammer, something was different about him, ever since they left the attic he sensed that there was an aura surrounding his best friend. _The vampires will revolt._ The fairy was certain that Yoongi would not be able to stop the vampires from war..but, what could that mean? Who would the vampires revolt against? Jihoon was the only threat to them at this moment. The fairy also said there were answers in that house and he didn't find a damn thing. _Your bias makes you blind_. If his allegiance to Yoongi was how he had to go out, then so be it. He was loyal to three people in this world - Jungkook, Namjoon, and Yoongi, and nothing anyone could say would change that.

     "There is no way the vampires and werewolves are going to war now, it just makes no sense," Seokjin concluded, and that was that. He just had to focus on stopping his father and helping Yoongi deal with Jihoon.  _Your bias makes you blind_. Those words ate at him. _Blind to what?_   Seokjin studied Yoongi, watching as he climbed the ladder to hang the strings of lights for Harley, vigilant for any signs of something out of the ordinary or an inkling of insight to what that fairy could have meant.  _Was it just another trick to make him doubt his allegiance?_

     "Stare a little harder and I might get jealous," Jungkook whispered in his ear and he turned quick to see Jungkook wearing an expression of annoyance.

     "It's not what you think," Seokjin said flatly, turning his attention to the glass dome above and at the sun beginning its descent downwards. 

     "It's okay, I noticed something was off too..ever since he came down from the attic." Jungkook's _voice_ filled his ears.

     Seokjin's head lurched to his boyfriend, "What do you mean?"

     "Huh?" Jungkook looked perplexed, "What do I mean about what?"

     Seokjin shook his head, "You just said-"

     "Not much to figure out, jealous...self-explanatory." Jungkook smirked, "Yeah?"

     "You just said something was off-"

      "I didn't say that," Jungkook was sure Seokjin had gone senile, or maybe was just a bit too wound up. "Anyway, I'm going with Taehyung to pick up some pigs for the party, so I'll be back later."

     "Pigs?" Seokjin took a deep breath, realizing he didn't much care. "Nevermind, I don't need to know."

     Jungkook grabbed the back of Seokjin's head and pulled him in for a kiss."I love you."

     The words gave Seokjin butterflies, he smiled, forgetting for a second that anyone else in the world existed. "I love you too."

     "Good, so stop staring at Yoongi and get to work." Jungkook smacked Seokjin's butt and walked off before Seokjin could protest. 

 

     Seokjin needed to blow off some steam, he felt like he was losing his mind. Imagining Jungkook saying things he hadn't actually said was the last straw. If he was gonna face off against Yoosun, he needed a clear mind or his father would tear him apart. Maybe that's what the fairy wanted. Maybe this was all some ploy to get Seokjin to go crazy so they could pick him off and carry on with their plans. _No, I am not going to let that happen. No way in hell._ Everyone's lives depended on him taking down Yoosun. He would not let his father win, the alternative was unacceptable.  He walked over to Yoongi, waiting for him to come down the ladder. "Hey."

     "What's up?" Yoongi answered, grabbing another string of lights off the floor. Seokjin thought he seemed preoccupied with more than just the lights, but who was he to make a determination on anything in his current state of mind.

     "Going for a jog, if anyone needs to know where I am," Seokjin informed him and then headed for the door, Yoongi watched him for a few moments before heading back up the ladder. 

     

     Seokjin had stopped midway down the road on his jog, suddenly remembering something..it wasn't just the fairy that had told him to search Cato's estate, when Jungkook had gone to the citadel of the Gods, Skotadi had also told them to start at the estate and that Hoseok could guide them through uncovering the secrets within.. _Oh my God, why didn't I remember this before?_ Seokjin took in a deep breath, resting his hands on his hips. A witch does have to open communication, that's why he didn't find anything today. He wiped the sweat from his chin, the gears in his mind turning a mile a minute. Would he be able to steal Hoseok away from the preparations in the castle for a few hours?  It was poor timing, but he really needed to know what was in that house.

     "What secrets are you hiding, house?" Seokjin took out his phone and sent a text to Hoseok. Six texts of objecting to Seokjin's crazy idea before the seventh finally agreed to meet him there in a half hour when he got back from picking up some new frogs. Seokjin pocketed his phone and ran back towards the castle.

 

     Sunsets and evil homes do not mix, usually coming here when it was near dark gave a person the jitters... but for some reason, tonight the house seemed less haunted. Seokjin felt a sense of calm in the foyer and the living room didn't have its unusual ambiance of doom looming over it, it was almost like the house was cleansed of all its evil energy.

     "Something is different," Seokjin announced, more thinking out loud, Hoseok nodded, agreeing.

     "What happened today?" Hoseok asked, thinking maybe he could piece together why the house might be different.

     "Nothing, Jungkook and I went to the basement and we didn't find a damn thing-"

     "What about Yoongi?" 

     "He was in the attic for awhile,"Seokjin recalled, "He said nothing happened, but there was a weird light-"

     "Light?' Hoseok inquired, "What kind of light?"

     "I don't know it was bright...purple," Seokjin didn't know why that would matter, "Does it make a difference?"

     "Well yeah, the colors depend on the type of spell, purple is usually dark magic-"

      "You gotta be fucking kidding me." Seokjin was agitated, "So he was possessed?"

      "Highly doubtful." Hoseok responded, "First off, a possession isn't a spell."

     "Something was in this house," Seokjin walked over to the portrait above the fireplace and looked at Misae, "She was powerful and she had the grimoire, is it possible that-"

      "If you're suggesting that Misae somehow cast herself inside of Yoongi with a spell, then no." Hoseok informed him, "Only a live person can do that, that's not a possession."

      "But Cato was able to take over my mind-"

     "Cato's energy was sucked from him when he was still alive, Seokjin.." Hoseok argued, "Being alive and casting a spell to have your soul transported is different, a possession is from a dead entity...if Yoongi was possessed, then it was because something was stuck in this house, waiting."

     "Then what  was the light?"

     "It could have been a bewilderment spell, if the entity in the house wanted to take over Yoongi, he would have had to convince him to take in his essence, an entity cannot just enter a person without their consent, not if it wants to become omnipotent." Hoseok surmised, "There are only a few spells that can be activated after a long period of time, things like traps and jinxes, or mind spells-"

     Seokjin grabbed Hoseok by the shoulders, a desperation in his voice, "If something has taken him over, you can tell, right?"

     "If he was taken over by a normal spirit, there will be signs, echoes." Hoseok pulled away, "But, if it was something powerful, then it can mask itself, and if that happened, it will resist detection."

     "Why now?"  Seokjin paced the floor, trying to make sense of it all. "Why Yoongi?"

     "I don't know, if it was dead, then any number of reasons, but if it was a person's live energy," Hoseok sighed, "There are just too many possibilities. The only way to know for sure would be to do a reading and Yoongi isn't going to just offer himself up for inspection. If this thing convinced Yoongi to allow itself to enter him, then it made a really good argument in Yoongi's mind-"

     "So it tricked him?"

     "There's also a possibility the thing might be able to help-"

     "Whatever was in this house was not friendly, it's not about to become our new ally."

     "But Yoongi is, he could use it, use its power to make himself stronger," Hoseok speculated, "But that's assuming Yoongi can control it."

     "If I can't trust him going into this, then he's a liability, Hoseok." Seokjin stopped and turned to Hoseok, realizing that he might have to take Yoosun on without his right-hand man, "Can we get it out of him?"

     "Yeah, with an exorcism, but again, that's if it was dead prior." Hoseok put his hand on Seokjin's shoulder, "You don't even know if something is even inside him. If you're going off of just the presence of a light in an attic, it's a pretty big leap to make."    

      "Maybe if it was just the light, but this house is different now, it feels less...malevolent." Seokjin insisted, "Where else could it have gone?"

     Hoseok nodded, he couldn't disagree, this was no coincidence.

 

     Seokjin sat on the roof of the castle staring out at the twinkling night sky, admiring how the stars had the ability make everything seem so calm. Since returning from Cato's estate, he had made sure to avoid Yoongi, at least until he could figure out if something had even happened to him, he didn't want to give away that he knew anything. Whatever happened in that attic, Seokjin felt in his gut that it wasn't positive.  All he knew was that this was the worst possible time for him not to be able to trust his best friend. He felt like screaming. How the hell did this...thing...convince Yoongi that this was a good idea?

     "You okay?" Jungkook had climbed out the window and was staring at the back of Seokjin's head.

     "Hey, you're back!" Seokjin grabbed Jungkook's arm and pulled him down to his knees, wrapping his arms around the younger in a warm hug. Jungkook was taken aback, trying to steady himself from tipping over. "How was pig hunting?"

     "I feel like I should have been here with you instead." Jungkook pulled Seokjin into him as he sat down, worried. "What did I miss?"

     Seokjin exhaled, "Halloween fast approaches."

     "I know what you're thinking-"

     "We don't know what could happen." Seokjin was beyond concerned, "No one is safe."

     "We're going to defeat Yoosun, no other option." Jungkook was adamant, a little too cocky Seokjin thought. "I'm not going to lose you to some ritual."

     "Don't underestimate Yoosun-" Seokjin stopped, not wanting to think about what could happen to Jungkook. Yoosun was coming for him, and he would use Jungkook any way he could to get to him. "He already proved what he could do at the boardwalk, he's dangerous."

     "You don't have to tell me, " Jungkook shuddered, thinking about the Ferris wheel car and the cold ocean. "But I refuse to go into this scared."

     "I don't know if I can protect you, Jungkook.." Seokjin looked up into Jungkook's dark eyes, "And that terrifies me."

     "I can handle myself," Jungkook assured him, even though he was just as scared, he was not going to sit down and accept defeat. "Don't worry about me."

     "I wish it were that easy." Seokjin leaned up, taking in a breath of fresh air. "If this goes bad, I want you to promise me, you won't try to avenge me-"

     Jungkook looked at Seokjin, distraught. "You think I can promise something like that?" Jungkook shook his head, "If he hurts you, I'm not just gonna run away to save myself."

      "Jungkook-"

     "No, if this goes wrong, I'm gonna use every ounce left in me to take him down.." Jungkook pledged, "and if I fail too, then at least we die together."

     "Don't die for me..that's just stupid."

     "You don't get it, Seokjin, without you, I am dead. There is nothing for me without you." Jungkook teared up, "There is no way I'm going to lie down and accept anything that happens...so don't even ask that of me, not when you can't promise the same."

     Seokjin was overcome with emotion, no one had ever cared about him the way Jungkook does. His whole life, he realized the only one that had given a small shit about him was his mother, and Yoongi..but Jungkook, he was different, Jungkook wasn't just in love with him..Jungkook would die for him. He smiled and pulled Jungkook into an embrace, kissing his sweet lips. "Maybe I underestimate you."

     Jungkook chuckled, "You think?"

     Seokjin leaned in and kissed him again, "I fucking love you Jungkook!"

     Jungkook smiled, looking down, "Good, cause if I'm going to die next week, I at least want to know that much."

      Seokjin settled his head on Jungkook's lap, gawking up at the moon, admiring its simplistic brilliance; a big ball in the sky, full of sorrow and of new beginnings. Holding Jungkook's hand in his own, he could feel the younger's pulse beating against his palm. His heart was beating so fast, he was sure part of it was from being so close, but he also knew Jungkook was afraid. Seokjin had to admire how Jungkook wasn't going to let his fears stop him, no matter how terrified he was, Jungkook's love would never falter, he would go into any battle and fight his hardest right by Seokjin's side...to the death.

     The eve was so peaceful, the calm before the storm. He wished the night wouldn't end. All he knew was that tomorrow, he would deal with everything, whatever life wanted to throw at him. Tonight, he just wanted to melt into Jungkook and forget that everything in the world wasn't as perfect as being up here in the October air with the love of his life. Tomorrow the world could die, but tonight he was with the one person that made him feel the most alive.

 

(NOTE: Listen to My Escape by Ravenscode during this roof scene, it's beautiful and perfectly describes Jinkook.)

* * *

I don't even know if anyone still cares about this story, I know it's been too long since I updated. Between life dealing me some crap..to my computer deciding to crash - and worse - writer's block..I just wanted to scream some days lol   But here it is, a bit shorter than I wanted, but I have an epic bunch of scenes to get from my mind on to this screen. The Halloween chapter!  I knew it was going to be long, too long for just one chapter - so here is the first part. I"m sorry I made you wait - that is if you're still out there reading. Thanks for sticking with it!!!  <3 

  
  



	61. BONUS 11: Calm before the storm

 

NOTE:  This chapter took long because...I went back and fixed chapters 1-60 - fixed grammar, added details, fixed minor mistakes and made stuff sound a bit better. Realized some of my first chapters were kind of vague in areas as well. (Also had to fix a big mistake in last chapter =(  So, everything sounds so much better and the reason why this chapter has taken extra long =/

 

     It was close to 5 AM, three days until Halloween. The atmosphere in the castle was tense. It seemed a permanent ground fog had settled itself in, making everything even more direful. Taehyung had accused Jimin of setting up dry ice machines as a joke, the fog just seemed too unreal. It looked straight out of an 80s horror movie, where at any minute the bad guy would sprout up from the mistiness and eat them all. Jimin said he would never do such a thing at a time like this.

     Jungkook couldn't sleep, between his nerves and Seokjin's snoring, he was having a bout of insomnia. He thought a long walk outside would ease his mind a bit, maybe make him tired in the process. He was walking the perimeter of the fence as if searching for something, at least that's what it looked like to Yoongi who stared down at the younger from his spot on the roof where he sat, legs dangling. He too, could not sleep...but for a much different reason. Yoongi could not quiet the thoughts in his head, he kept questioning why the entity wanted him to wait for the blood moon, for Halloween. He could easily just go take care of Jihoon now, without the fear of something going wrong. The voices just kept telling him to wait.

     "Who is Yoosun's equal?" Yoongi thought aloud. It was never explicitly said that Yoosun had to be the one to off Seokjin, if all he needed was his blood, then he could leave it to Jihoon, let the grunt do all the dirty work. A two birds, one stone kind of deal... Or, was it Jungkook? Since he had Namjoon's power and was some sort of weather manipulator, he could very well be the one Yoosun believes could match him.

     Yoongi's thoughts were interrupted by the spotting of a certain vampire climbing a part of the west wall, sneaking back onto the castle grounds. Yoongi jumped down off the roof and landed in the grass, he was on a mission to nab the little truant and find out what deeds he was up to that involved late night trips, alone, in and out of the castle. He crouched down behind a bush, waiting for Sehun to get close enough to grab him. He was five seconds from pouncing when Jungkook gripped his arm, stopping him from moving. Yoongi turned his head towards Jungkook as he yanked his arm away. The younger held his finger to his lips to tell him to shush. Jungkook peered over Yoongi's shoulder and waited until Sehun was inside.

     "What the fuck?" Yoongi stood, eyeing the younger as he too stood.

      "He's been meeting Amelia in her car down the road for the past few nights, maybe longer." Jungkook informed him, "Something about Halloween and making sure they got in."

     "How do you know that?"

     "I've been watching him." Jungkook watched him like a hawk since he felt like Sehun was up to something. He'd discovered the crafty 'lil creature of the night was sneaking out when everyone went to bed.

     "Then I need to take him out now-" Yoongi's expression turned angry.

     "The vampires will revolt," Jungkook recited, "That's what the fairy told us."

     "Amelia is planning something," Yoongi scoffed, "All the high ranking vampires will be at that party."

     "A coup." Jungkook assumed.

     "I'd say Sehun has outworn his welcome." Yoongi seethed.

     "I'd agree."

     "Seeing as you don't have the stomach, I'll handle it."

     Jungkook shook his head, "No."

    "NO?" Yoongi questioned.

     "I have a plan," Jungkook assured him and began to walk back to the castle.

     "What plan?" Yoongi followed.

     Jungkook opened the front door and turned to him, "It's not your concern."

     Yoongi smirked, "I'm glad your balls have finally dropped, but now is not the time to be keeping secrets."

     Jungkook laughed to himself as he turned on his heel and went inside. Yoongi chased after him, trailing him down to the basement and into the lab.

 

     Sehun was about to climb into his cot when he stopped to gawk at his visitors.

     "Where have you been?" Yoongi asked, ignoring Jungkook's dirty looks.

     "Bathroom."

     "Didn't realize Amelia's car had such a feature." Jungkook grinned.

     Sehun's face dropped.

     "You almost had me fooled with your innocence act over the crystal."  Yoongi was angry.

     "I actually didn't know about it, but you know my father, he thinks I'm an idiot."

     "Well, he wouldn't be wrong." Yoongi crossed his arms as he leaned against the counter.

      "So what are you gonna do now?" Sehun sat on the cot, peering up at them both.

     Yoongi shrugged, "This one has a plan."

     Sehun and Yoongi both cackled at the thought. Jungkook was not amused.

     "I hear the sunrises in the back fields are nice." Jungkook smiled when Sehun stopped laughing. Yoongi was almost impressed if what he thought the younger had planned was about to come to fruition.

 

     The middle of the back fields were still veiled in darkness, it had a menacing tone that was worse than the rest of the property. Jungkook clicked shut a large steel plated padlock and backed up, glaring down at Sehun below him, ankles chained to the old willow tree stump that lay deserted of all life in the middle of the field. Sehun pulled at the chain, testing its durability, it was werewolf transformation grade quality, there was no escaping this.

     "Any last words?" Jungkook smile upturned into a wicked little scowl.

     "Fuck you." Sehun's face was wrought with worry. He didn't know if this was all a bluff to get him to spill his guts, but it was close to working.

      "Classic." Yoongi clapped. The whole chained out in the field, awaiting the sun's arrival tactic was vintage. "Didn't think you had it in you."

     "You and Seokjin like to underestimate me." Jungkook kicked Sehun across the face with his size 9 boot. Sehun toppled over with a definitive grunt.

     "This isn't going to work," Sehun spit out a wad of blood as he straightened back up.

     "I'd say forty-five minutes until sunrise?" Jungkook glanced at his watch and then out at the horizon, "Give or take."

     "I'm loyal to my coven."

     "Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure I figured out the whole plan without your help," Jungkook's face went stoic, "I really just don't like you."

     Yoongi was getting an odd sense of fondness for the younger, "You might actually impress me for once in your life."

     Jungkook ignored Yoongi, focusing on Sehun kneeling beneath him, sweating. "Didn't you say I should show Seokjin I'm not the wimp he thinks I am?"

     "I said you should kick his ass, not kill me," Sehun yelled, more panicked then he intended to let on.

     Jungkook squatted down, grabbing Sehun's cheeks and squeezing, "You're here to open a door so that Amelia can lead her revolt," Jungkook shook his head, "You're a low-life, a follower...There is no reason for me keep you alive right now."

     "That's Namjoon's decision-" Sehun pulled his head back, releasing himself from Jungkook's grasp.

     "It's not like anyone would miss you," Jungkook stood back up, exchanging glances with Yoongi, "You're the black sheep. This was probably your last attempt to get them to see you in a new light."

     "Amelia will find a way in even without me," Sehun sneered, "She's going to take out her husband whether I'm here or not."

     "Oh really?" Yoongi was now intrigued.

      Sehun knew he said too much.

     "Do tell." Yoongi smirked, "The cat is already out of the bag."

     "I'm not saying shit," Sehun was resolute, "Go ahead and kill me."

     "Suit yourself." Jungkook turned and walked over to the fence near the gardens. Yoongi backtracked, gaging Sehun's stern expression with glee.

 

     Jungkook and Yoongi stood leaning against the garden wall, watching as the familiar orange tint began to ascend into the sky.

     "I give it ten more seconds," Yoongi remarked.

     "You know I removed the spelled item, the sun will kill him if he doesn't cooperate." Jungkook felt a pang of guilt.

     "You willing to take this the whole way, bunny boy?"

     "Can you not call me that?" Jungkook leaned up, cracking his neck.

     "Question still stands."

     "He doesn't want to die." Jungkook no sooner said the words, before Sehun beckoned him.

     "This is not funny," Sehun screamed out, "I can feel the hairs on my arms starting to singe."

     "Sucks to suck." Jungkook slipped on a pair of sunglasses.

     "Come on man," Sehun whined.

     The sun peeked out from the treeline, casting its warm glow upon the grass a mere few feet from where Sehun was chained.

     "Two more minutes and it should all be over." Yoongi smiled, slipping on his own shades. "I'll send my best to your coven."

     The sun came into view, Sehun panicked, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know...please."

     Jungkook didn't move.

     Yoongi glanced at him, "Is this part of the plan?"

     Jungkook fished a ring out of his pocket, he twirled it in his fingers for a few moments, "If you can get it, you can live."  Jungkook chucked the ring, it landed just shy of Sehun's reach.

     Sehun dove towards it, trying his hardest to reach the shiny silver object, the spelled ring that would keep him from frying in the rays of the hot star. He pulled at the chain, inching forward a bit. The sunlight hit his foot, creeping slowly up his thigh. 

     "You better hurry your pace." Jungkook began to walk towards the scared vampire.

     "Help me..."

     "Help yourself," Jungkook stopped just above Sehun's ring, looking down at him, fingertips an inch from the prize. "So close."

     "FUCK..." Sehun felt the sun hit his hips and then stomach, a hair away from the bare skin of his arms, he cursed his choice in sleep attire. In less than five seconds he would burn alive... "Come on..."

     "Just a bit further..." Jungkook taunted.

     The rays hit his arms and began to boil his skin, he yelled out. Thumping against the stump, he pushed his foot against the splintered wood. His fingernail grazed the metal as the sun hit his neck, smoke rising off of him like he was kindling.

     "Come on, you're about to die and this is the best you got?"

     Sehun dug his nail into the earth, hitting the rounded edge of the ring. Somehow by luck, he was able to make it flip up and roll over the back of his hand where he was able to grab it, he slipped it on just as his charcoaled skin caught fire. As the sun left the treeline and graced the blue skyline with its brilliance, a glow encased him extinguishing the flames. "You son of a bitch." 

     Jungkook popped the lock and pulled the chain, releasing him. Yoongi grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Sehun winced at the pressure.

     "Damn, that feels painful." Yoongi pulled his hand away from Sehun's heated appendage, shuddering at the crunchiness of his skin.

 

     Jungkook pushed Sehun down on to the bed in the sound-proof room. Sehun sang like a canary, filling their ears with Amelia's plans like a grand symphony's playing of dirty deeds...everything he knew about the vampire coup and Amelia's plan to kill her husband Jacob, during Yoosun's diversion.

     "Who is Jihoon's last victim?"

     "Last victim?" Sehun was clueless as to what that meant.

     "The final person to ascend him." Yoongi realized he was the only one who knew the full story of the spell that would link all vampires.

     "I don't know," Sehun scratched his arm, the healing was itchy. "What are you going to do with me now?"

     Jungkook stood from the chair, "I dunno. I guess that all depends on how everything goes at the party."

     Sehun glanced around Jungkook to Yoongi, "If Amelia kills Jacob, she takes the council, no amount of votes will matter.

     

     Jungkook and Yoongi shuffled into the kitchen, tired. They both grabbed a beverage from the fridge. Yoongi's usual blood bag felt so good in his dry mouth, the sun had a way of making it feel like he had gargled with a glass of sand.

     Jungkook popped open a soda, stopping mid-gulp to stare at the perplexing creature of the night. Something was different about him.

     "What?" Yoongi felt the younger's eyes penetrate the back of his head.

     "You're not you, why?" Jungkook leaned against the counter, trying to figure out what could have changed.

     "I'm not me?" Yoongi laughed, "Who am I then?"

     "Something is...different." Jungkook had no clue that Yoongi was harboring a visitor. Seokjin had not confided in him about what he and Hoseok figured out at Cato's estate.

     "Impending death changes a person," Yoongi shrugged, "Don't think too hard on it."

     "I didn't plan to."

     "Get some sleep kid, you'll need to be at your peak for Halloween." Yoongi held up his blood bag as if toasting him off to a good life and then sauntered out of the room.

 

     Seokjin pushed the door to the weight room open and stepped through, studying the equipment that held the sweat and toil from the many pack members that trained here. This room is where he spent the most time for so many years, it was bittersweet that this might be one of the last times he would train in it. He would never admit it to the rest of them, but he tasted the impact of Yoosun's magic and he knew that there was a huge possibility he might not make it out alive. Yoosun wanted him dead and he felt his father could very well beat him. On the other hand, if he didn't take his father down, then Jungkook could die....and he simply would not risk that. He slipped on his gloves and secured the velcro, smashing his fists together, he took a big breath.

     He let loose, beating the bag hard as the thoughts of Yoosun and Yoongi and Jihoon and Jungkook swam around in his brain. All the good times and bad times intertwined like a documentary swirled about, especially his moments with Jungkook. For the past two days, he considered something that would change his life forever. Today, after his workout, he would pop into town and buy a ring. A ring that he would slip on the finger of the love of his life. If he was going to perish in a few days, he at least wanted to marry Jungkook. He'd already planned out the details with Hoseok, who would officiate the ceremony. He didn't need a big fancy celebration, he just needed the pack...and a best man.

     Yoongi waltzed into the room and stopped short, Seokjin met his eye. "Seokjin."

     "Yoongi."

      "Felt like I haven't seen you in days," Yoongi removed his hoody and grabbed a pair of gloves. "Oh wait, I haven't."

     Seokjin turned away from him and returned to punching the bag, "I doubt that."

     "Something wrong?" Yoongi stopped directly behind him.

     "Why would anything be wrong?"

     "Strange vibes from you," Yoongi secured his locket beneath his tank.

     Seokjin threw around the idea of straight up asking Yoongi if something happened in the attic with him and that light. He had no clue if what was inside Yoongi was an ally or an enemy, though he was leaning towards the latter. "Just keeping busy."

     "Yeah," Yoongi smirked, "Glad this wasn't awkward or anything."

     Seokjin watched his best friend walk over to the weight bench and sit. "I need a best man."

     Yoongi's attention snapped to Seokjin, "Best man as in...you're getting married?"

     "Well, I haven't asked him yet," Seokjin jabbed the bag a few times. "Tonight, after dinner-"

     "Marriage is a huge step," Yoongi didn't bother to hide his disapproval, "You sure this is what you wa-"

     "More than sure," Seokjin cut him off. "I've never been more sure of anything."

     "Would you be doing this if you weren't worried you might die in a few days?"

     "I was going to eventually," Seokjin grabbed the bag, leaning against it, "I just want there to be one thing in my life I've done right."

     "So am I to assume you figure one of you is going to be crossing over?" Yoongi laid back, gripping the barbell.

     "I'm not going to assume one of us can't." Seokjin glanced over at Yoongi and then back to the bag, jabbing it a few more times.

     "So much for that famous confidence." Yoongi lifted the bar off the rack and began a set of reps.

     "There's a big difference between confident and cocky." Seokjin kicked the bag, sighing. "Yoosun is powerful, to underestimate him would be deadly."

     "Agreed, but...You can't go in with doubt on your mind." Yoongi could tell Seokjin was throwing a significant weight of bad shit around in his brain.

     "It would be dumb to think we'd all come out unscathed."

     "I guess an alive realist is better than a dead egotist." Yoongi replaced the bar and sat up.

     "I just hope you know what you're doing." Seokjin glanced over at him as he slipped off his gloves.

     "With what?"

     Seokjin threw them down in the bag, grabbing a water and uncapping it. "I don't think I have to say it."

     Yoongi watched as Seokjin walked out. Seokjin knew.

 

     Seokjin found the rings at the second shop, they were perfect. Black Tungsten with a white gold band along the outsides. Technically it was a wedding band, but if Jungkook said yes, he would just have Hoseok marry them off right away. _What if_ _he says_ _no?_ Seokjin shook that thought right out of his head, he couldn't think of any reason why Jungkook would say no. He checked his watch, it was fifteen minutes before they would meet at the restaurant down the road. Seokjin would wait until dessert, he'd pre-ordered Jungkook's favorite - a chocolate bingsu that he was having the chef prepare especially for the occasion. He was so nervous his palms were sweaty as he took the package from the jeweler and bid him farewell. The hike down the road was filled with thoughts of their future together, that is if Yoosun didn't snuff one of them out. The only thing he knew for certain was that Jungkook was the one constant in his life that made sense.

 

     The private room was decorated with strung white lights tacked against the crown molding along all four walls, it twinkled against the pale blue wallpaper, setting a serene tone. They needed a calm tonight. A bouquet of Jungkook's favorite flower was resting in a vase in the middle of the table - purple calla lilies, they were a symbol of passion and charm. Seokjin hoped maybe a little of the blossom's 'charm' would rub off on him tonight, the passion part he had no trouble with. He and Jungkook had a connection that could never wither... So why did his nerves felt like a tourniquet wrapped around him, cutting off his circulation?  _Calm down. Breathe. Everything tonight will be perfect._

     Jungkook was already seated when Seokjin came around the corner, he stopped short, his breath hitched at the sight of Jungkook smiling sweetly at his arrival. It was like the tension was instantly erased. Seokjin approached, returning the smile as he sat, fingering the box in his jacket pocket. There was no doubt in his mind, this was just...right.

     "I'd ask the occasion, but seeing you right now, it doesn't even matter." Jungkook took a deep breath. "I just hope I get to see many more of these."

     "Me too." Seokjin nodded to the waiter and the waiter nodded back as he exited the room. Seokjin turned his attention to Jungkook, "I ordered ahead of time."

     "I know, I was informed when I asked for a menu," Jungkook smirked. He was a tad nervous himself, figuring Seokjin set this all up because it could be their last time together. He didn't want to dwell on that, but the thoughts haunted him, nagging at him. He glanced at the decorations, anything to take his mind off their situation. "The lights look nice."

     "I guess we should talk about the elephant in the room." Seokjin bit his lip, "Not that I want to think about it-"

     "Then don't," Jungkook reached across the table and clasped hands with Seokjin, "Not tonight."

     "Jungkook-"

     "Tonight it's just me and you, the rest of the world doesn't exist."

     Seokjin couldn't help but to stare into the younger's dark browns, Jungkook was the most beautiful thing he'd ever known. "Fair enough."

     "I'm starving, so I hope you ordered a shit ton of food." Jungkook pulled his hand back and took a sip of his water.

     "I think you'll like dessert the best." Seokjin smiled.

     The waiter brought in a bottle of wine and popped it open, letting Seokjin sniff the cork. He nodded and the waiter poured a glass for each of them.

     "Wine," Jungkook remarked, taking a sip as the waiter stuck the bottle in ice and left the room. "Expensive wine."

     "You said it was your favorite." Seokjin took a sip of his own.

     "Should I be worried?" Jungkook set his glass down. Private room, his favorite type of decor and wine...full course meal and dessert to come. Was Seokjin really this worried about facing off with his father?

     "We've been through a lot together." Seokjin refilled their glasses, thinking back. "Sometimes I wonder how you put up with me."

     "Well, I've wanted to kill you once or twice." Jungkook confided and Seokjin snickered. "But, I always knew it was you I wanted."

     "I'm glad you're stubborn."

      "Would you have liked me back if I wasn't?" Jungkook toasted him then drank down his wine.

     "True." Seokjin took a sip of the wine and smiled.

     The waiter entered with their food, setting down two 12 ounce, medium rare deer steaks, with all the trimmings, in front of them both. "Bon appétit"

     Jungkook looked at it wide-eyed. _Deer. He_ _got_ _the chef to prepare us deer._

     "Freshly caught and skinned," Seokjin picked up his utensils, grimacing over his not so romantic announcement. "Sorry."

     Jungkook cut into his meat, basking in the taste of the succulent meat as it hit his tongue. "Never apologize for deer."

     Seokjin watched him for a few moments, Jungkook enjoying his dinner made him nostalgic of their first hunt together. "Memories."

     "One of the best nights of my life." Jungkook reminisced. 

     "Mine too." Seokjin took a bite of his own, appreciating the never failing gamey taste.

     "When did you know?" Jungkook met his lover's eyes, "The moment you fell in love with me."

     Seokjin knew the exact moment he knew it was love and not just a strong liking. He knew he liked him when he gave him the pendant on his 18th birthday, that was the moment he knew he bonded with him...but the moment he knew he was in love with Jungkook..."The night at the fight, when you were marked by that alpha....after it was all over and we were in the car, looking down at you passed out, bleeding. It hit me like a freight train."

     "Well, you certainly hid it well."

     "It was the last thing I expected," Seokjin shook his head, "The last thing I wanted to happen."

     "So it was my charm that ultimately won you over." Jungkook kidded, savoring the last bite of his steak as he set his fork down.

     "For sure." Seokjin smiled, "When did you know?"

     "Oh, exactly ten seconds after you walked into the room when I was eight and looked at me like I was a giant problem."

     "Ha ha, I'm serious."

     "I wish I was kidding." Jungkook shuddered.

     "That's sad." Seokjin frowned, "I was an ass to you for the next ten years-"

     "Okay maybe not exactly then, but that night in the graveyard after you attacked me is when I admitted it to myself, what everyone else already knew."

     "Pretty sure the whole town knew too-"

      "I can take it back." 

     "I hope not." Seokjin whined, "It will make the whole point of tonight...well, just don't."

 

     A waiter cleared the table of their dinner dishes, while another set down the desserts. This was it, the moment Jungkook took the last bite of his chocolate bingsu, Seokjin would lay his heart on the line and pop the question.

     "How the hell did you get them to make a bingsu?" Jungkook smiled, picking up his spoon as he sniffed the cold shaved ice cream.

     "There's nothing I wouldn't do to make you happy." Seokjin took a bite of his own.

      They scarfed down the delicious concoctions in near silence, like talking would somehow ruin the richness of the chocolate. Jungkook had it finished before Seokjin was even halfway done.

     "Did you even taste it?" Seokjin smiled as Jungkook reached over and took a small spoonful of his.

     "It was...extraordinary." Jungkook patted his stomach and sat back, setting his spoon down in the bowl. "Thank you."

     Seokjin nodded, peeking out the window behind Jungkook. "The moon looks beautiful out over the water-"

     Jungkook peered over his shoulder, admiring the big ball of light that shone down upon them. "Yeah, it does."

     Seokjin took a deep breath, he stood and walked around the table to Jungkook, holding out his hand to the younger, Jungkook grasped it and Seokjin pulled him up and lead him over to the large windows that overlooked the bay. Seokjin stared up at the moon, so close to full...so close to the reminder of what was to happen in two days. He fished the ring box out of his pocket and looked over at Jungkook.

      "Kookie..."

     Jungkook looked over at him, "Hmm?"

     Seokjin felt a knot in his throat as he gathered up his nerve, slowly dropping to his one knee. "I love you more than anything in the world."

     "I love you too." Jungkook wondered why Seokjin was on his knee. _Oh shit_. He knew the second he saw the box peek out from Seokjin's hand.

     Seokjin swallowed hard, he opened the box. "I'm not good with words or feelings and I could die in two days, but if there's one thing I know I need to do before the world goes to shit...I want to spend every last second of it with you."

     Jungkook forgot for a moment that he could blink, he stared at the ring in Seokjin's palm, tucked neatly in a small white box.

     "I can't promise there won't be up and downs, or that I won't make you question the very fiber of your being several times a week," Seokjin blew a puff of air out of his mouth, "But I can promise that I will love you with everything I have."

     Jungkook couldn't speak. His knees went to jelly.

     "Jungkook Jeon," Seokjin gazed into his round, unblinking eyes. "Will you marry me?"

     "Holy shit-" Jungkook gasped out, struggling to regain his composure.

     "I can't put this on you yet, but Hoseok said he'd do the honors tonight, in the garden...if you want."

     "Yes." Jungkook nodded, "Yes, I'll marry you." He pulled Seokjin up off the floor and wrapped his arms around him, engulfing him in a hug. Seokjin closed his eyes, squeezing Jungkook close, his heart pounding out of his chest. The world stopped in that moment for a short instance, an inner peace washed over both of them, bliss was real. 

     

     The moon cast a large amount of its luminance onto the gazebo, the perfect backdrop for a proclamation of love.  Hoseok stood on the step of the gazebo looking down at Jungkook and Seokjin as they stood before him dressed in black suits and ties, calla lilies pinned to their lapels. Taehyung and Jimin stood behind Jungkook grinning like happy little children, he couldn't seem to choose just one of them to be his best man, so he asked both. Yoongi stood behind Seokjin, a sour expression on his face, a stark contrast to the rest of the attendees. As much as he internally protested this union, he couldn't let his best friend stand alone as he exchanged vows.

     Namjoon and Yuta stood off to the side, spectating. Harley leaned against the stone fence next to them, clutching a tissue in her hand because she just knew she was going to cry happy tears.

     "We are gathered here tonight in the castle garden to join two of the most stubborn people this pack has ever known, Seokjin and Jungkook." Hoseok announced and they all giggled, silently agreeing. "We've all watched this relationship bloom into something only fairytales are made of. At least the outcome, because the journey was far from perfect."

     "Preach!" Taehyung joked, earning a warning look from Seokjin which made him crack up.

     "The moral is...Dreams come true," Hoseok smiled, "I'd like to say this union could be happily ever after, but in light of the situation, I hope that the two of you get to grow old together and retire in some old creature's home for the morally wicked."

     "Hoseok." Seokjin cleared his throat.

     "Right, sorry," Hoseok smirked, "Did you prepare vows?"

     "Kind of." Seokjin was planning to recite what was in his heart, he didn't need a piece of paper to guide him through all that Jungkook made him feel. He took Jungkook's hands in his own, looking at the younger, who was eye to eye with him, staring back with his doe eyes. "The only thing I have done right in my life is loving you. I know I'm not perfect, but when I am with you, I always feel like a better person..."

     Jungkook felt his heart skip a beat, he was actually about to marry Seokjin, whether he was to spend two days or two-hundred years as his husband, it didn't matter...he was actually going to be bound in holy matrimony to the love of his life.

     "Every moment I'm with you, life just makes sense... it doesn't matter whether we're working out, or watching movies...or chasing deer through the woods as big, hairy monsters, waking up the next morning naked in a pile of leaves."

     Jungkook snickered.

     "You are my life, Jungkook," Seokjin felt his eyes tear up, "and I promise you that no matter what happens, nothing will ever break us."

     "Same," Jungkook smirked and Seokjin cracked a smile. "No matter what."

     Seokjin and Jungkook stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity like it was just the two of them standing here under the moon and stars pledging their undying love for each other. Even if there weren't enough words to describe how they felt, they both could sense within them what words could not convey. They were madly and deeply in love with each other...forever...and nothing would ever change that.

     "The rings-" Hoseok looked to Yoongi and Taehyung.

     Yoongi slipped the ring off his thumb and handed the warm metal to Seokjin.

     "Repeat after me," Hoseok started and Seokjin nodded, "With this ring, I join together our hearts and our souls."

     "With this ring, I join together our hearts and our souls," Seokjin repeated as he slipped it on to the younger's finger.

     Taehyung handed Jungkook the ring for Seokjin.

     "With this ring, I join together our hearts and our souls," Jungkook slipped it on to Seokjin's finger.

     "May the symbol of this token forevermore remind you of the commitment you have vowed here today." Hoseok smiled, turning to Namjoon. "Our leader would like to say a few words."

     Namjoon stepped forward, looking to Seokjin and Jungkook, then to each of the faces of the pack. He cleared his throat before returning his gaze upon the two lovebirds. "Love blossoms in the blink of an eye, each passing moment brings the two hearts closer to one. Cherish each other like each day is your last. Never forget what you're feeling here today. Let each beat of your heart remind you that every moment hereafter can strengthen your bond or break it down. Every emotion is a lesson - joy, anger, sadness, they each build a new brick upon the foundation that is your relationship. My wish for you from this day on is that you experience every day as a new beginning. Communicate your fears, make peace with your doubts, and celebrate the victories. Never forget that each precious second of life is a gift that can be taken away at any moment. Never take each other for granted. Above all else, remember to have fun together, lean on each other, and communicate. In this twisted reality, be each other's light at the end of the tunnel."

     Jungkook squeezed Seokjin's hand and they both bowed their heads to Namjoon as a thank you for his words of wisdom. Jungkook felt like part of that was because he never got to have that with Nari.

     Hoseok nodded as Namjoon returned to his spot, then he turned to Seokjin, "Seokjin, do you promise to stand by Jungkook in good times and bad, protect him in crisis, heal him during sickness, praise his accomplishments, and stay loyal to only him until the day you pass to the other side?"

     "I do." Seokjin smiled.

     "Jungkook, do you promise to stand by Seokjin in good times and bad, protect him in crisis, heal him during sickness, praise his accomplishments, and stay loyal to only him until the day you pass to the other side?"

     "Hell yes." Jungkook agreed and they all giggled.

     "Then with the power vested in me, I present to you all, husbands, Seokjin and Jungkook... You can kiss your groom."

      Seokjin grabbed Jungkook's cheeks and pulled him closer, hovering for a moment to stare into his eyes, "I love you." Seokjin mouthed.

     "I love you too," Jungkook whispered.

     Jungkook leaned in and they kissed, for the first time, as husbands!

     Everyone cheered, congratulating them. Hoseok threw a handful of confetti over the couple, smiling like the Cheshire cat had taken over his face.

     "Holy shit, about time." Taehyung patted Jungkook and Seokjin on the back, swatting away stray confetti pieces as he walked off towards the back door. "Now we eat."

     Seokjin pulled away from Jungkook, grabbing his hand, "We already ate, so think we're just gonna head to bed."

     "Gross." Yoongi frowned as he headed inside.

 

     The kitchen countertop was set up buffet style with several different dishes of food, mostly appetizers. Just a little something Hoseok whipped up for the occasion.

     "This is amazing, you outdid yourself." Taehyung boasted, patting Hoseok on the back. Hoseok blushed.

     "I was inspired by thoughts of wedded bliss," Hoseok confessed, "Love is contagious."

     Harley stuffed an hors-d'oeuvre into Jimin's mouth, smiling. "You wanna get married someday?"

     "Yeah, sure." Jimin grabbed another appetizer, "Someday."

     "What about you two?" Harley asked Taehyung and Hoseok.

     "I don't know," Taehyung glanced over at Yoongi who was staring out the window.

     "Marriage is overrated." Yoongi felt the younger's eyes upon him, "Too much compromise."

     "Then I definitely wish to get married someday." Taehyung decided.

     "I'd have to agree with Mr. Sourpuss over there." Hoseok held his hand up and the cocktail weenie Jimin was about to stuff in his mouth magically ended up in his own hand.

     "Hey-" Jimin humphed as he bit down into nothing.

     Hoseok gobbled it down and smiled wickedly before looking over at Yoongi. "What do you have against marriage anyway?"

     "I'm going to bed." Yoongi set his glass down and walked out of the room.

     "Who twisted his panties?" Jimin grabbed another cocktail weenie, covering it with his hands like it was a rare jewel.

     "Suspect it has to do with his parents," Hoseok leaned against the wall. "Anyways...I've got some shit to finish in the lab."

     "More Charlies to torture?" Harley laughed.

     "I suppose I should set them free, just in case Yoosun decides to blow up the castle and kill us all."

     "You are so enthusiastic tonight." Jimin frowned, "Had no clue doomsayer was part of your job title."

     "Should will out my balms to the Potions Society." Hoseok made a mental list of things he should do just in case, ignoring Jimin. 

     "I should finish crushing up my herbs, at least give them a purpose," Taehyung grabbed up a few more of the appetizers on a plate and smirked at Jimin and Harley. "Have fun."

     Jimin watched as Hoseok and Taehyung left the kitchen and then turned to Harley, "Wanna take a ride?"

     "Where to?"

     "I don't care," Jimin wrapped his arms around her. "Anywhere."

     Jimin was sick of the dreary atmosphere, Yoosun was zapping the life out of the place before he had even stepped over the threshold.

 

    **THE DAY BEFORE HALLOWEEN** ______________________________________________________________

 

     Jimin was syncing up the feed from the cameras in and outside the house, a few of them had something obstructing the view, so he was waiting for Taehyung to come down so he could run the perimeter. Around ten monitors were lined against the wall in the small room in the basement showing every inch of the castle, not as high tech as he hoped, but it was doing the job. He set his laptop down on the desk and sat, punching up a program as he took a sip of soda. A familiar chatbox opened up and Jimin smiled, _Username Unknown_.

      **JIMIN** : back to anonymity again? 

    **UU:** One day left. 

      **JIMIN** : yeah, anything I should I know?

      **UU** : Your hacker files aren't as secure as you think, I cracked them and I'm just a novice.

      **JIMIN** : I wouldn't call hacking my files a novice feat, you're talented, almost as much as I am.

      **UU** : Or that's what I want you to believe.

      **JIMIN** : Noted

      **UU** : Seokjin's strength lies in his dormant abilities. If he can open that up, he can beat Yoosun.

      **JIMIN** : what are you talking about?

      **UU** : Talk to Namjoon about it. Tell Namjoon to watch his back too, something wicked this way comes.

      **JIMIN** : are you ever gonna tell me who you are?

      **UU** : A friend. If everything works out, we may meet one day.

    **JIMIN:** I look forward to it.

      **UU:**  Stay focused. The coup will be cataclysmic if Jihoon and Amelia succeed. Protect Jacob at all costs.

     The chatbox closed and Jimin scratched his head. Who the hell was this person? Coup? Dormant abilities? Something wicked? Protect Jacob? This was too much for his brain to handle, he had to shake it off for now and continue to make sure all the cameras were working and every inch of the castle was being filmed, he had to let Yuta and Hoseok know if there were any blind spots. Taehyung walked in and joined him.

     "I have to fix a camera along the back wall, a bird shit on the lens, so give me like ten minutes." Taehyung grabbed a walkie-talkie and turned it to channel 1. "I'm on channel 1."

     Jimin nodded and watched as his brother left the room, he reached over to grab his own walkie-talkie and clicked it on, turning to channel 1 and setting it down on the desk. 

     

     Taehyung climbed the ladder he set down seconds earlier and took the rag from his pocket to wipe the clop of bird poop that was caked on to the lens.

     "Good, I got visual." Jimin's voice came over his walkie-talkie and Taehyung waved into the camera.

     "Any other issues?" Taehyung asked

     Jimin gasped, "A herd of deer off to your left. Albino baby."

     Taehyung looked over his shoulder, sure enough, a group of five female deer were staring him down, smack dab in the middle of them was a small baby albino deer, its wide eyes curious of the world around it. "Odd, they look like they are trying to warn us about impending doom."

     "Animals aren't stupid." Jimin called back, "Oh, the front gate camera is pointing too far to the right, I see more trees than road."

     "I'm on it." Taehyung huffed as he stuffed the radio back into his belt and climbed back down the ladder. He grabbed the ladder and began his trek towards the front gate.

     Yuta joined Taehyung moments later as he set the ladder down against the guard house. "Hey, need help?"

     "Just fixing the camera." Taehyung climbed up on to the roof. "This has got to be the longest day in the history of slow passing time."

     Yuta smiled, "I suppose we should be enjoying the calm before the storm."

     Taehyung moved the camera a tad, lining up his eyes with the camera's direction, it looked about right.

     "Perfect." Jimin's voice came over the radio. "Everything looks good from here."

     "Good, think I'm gonna head into town for some dinner, wanna come?" Taehyung called over the speaker.

     "No thanks, no appetite," Jimin answered, thinking for a moment. "Why not take Yuta?"

     Taehyung looked over at Yuta, eyebrows raised, "You game?"

     Yuta nodded, "Sure."

     "Okay, cool." Taehyung was about to put the radio away, "Oh Jimin-"

     "Yes?" 

     "Not subtle." Taehyung flicked off the radio and set it back in his belt.

     Jimin peered up at the monitors, watching as Taehyung and Yuta climbed into Taehyung's car, smirking. "Subtle is no fun."

 

     Yoongi rummaged through the desk in the study of his Dad's estate before clearing everything off the top with one smooth arm push. He made his way over to the bookshelves, tearing it away from the wall and watching as everything toppled into a heap on the rug.

     "What are you doing?" A voice in Yoongi's head spoke out.

     "Ending the legend." Yoongi pulled out some lighter fluid and squirted it on the pile of books, spritzing some on the desk and more all over the gaudy wallpaper and wooden bookshelves.

     "You should check the wall safe first." The voice chanted.

     "I don't care what's in there, I want none of this shit." Yoongi fished the lighter from his inside jacket pocket, flicking the flame on. He gaped at it for a few moments, admiring the golden yellow color dancing before him.

     "You really have an issue with burning things down." Seokjin was leaning against the door frame when Yoongi looked over his shoulder.

     "Why are you here?"

     "I've been keeping an eye on you today."

     "Shouldn't you be on your honeymoon or something?" Yoongi flicked the ignition button a few times.

     "Are the voices telling you to do this?" Seokjin moved closer, coming to stand behind his best friend.

     "I don't know what you're talking about."

     "Yeah, you do." Seokjin stepped in front of Yoongi, "What did it promise you?"

     "Free wifi for life," Yoongi said with a serious tone.

     "Good deal," Seokjin sat on the edge of the desk, "This is dangerous, Yoongi."

     "Well, I would suggest you not sit in the lighter fluid then," Yoongi smirked, "I might also suggest you raid the liquor cabinet before I set the house to inferno mode."

     "I'm worried about tomorrow night and where your loyalties lie-"

     "I'm loyal to the pack." Yoongi sneered, angrier than he intended.

     "I know _you_ are, but I dunno which way the entity inside you leans towards."

     "Seokjin, I've always expected great things from you, but lately I question how much of that vision is misplaced."

     "Skotadi?" Seokjin stood alarmed.

     Yoongi grinned, "In the flesh. Well, sort of."

     "What the fuck?"

     "Yoosun is problematic, you can use the help."

     "I'm not sure your help is what the world needs." Seokjin barked, "What's your angle?"

     "A clean bloodline," Yoongi threw the lighter fluid tin down on top of the book pile, "It's become too tainted. It seems there are very few full-blooded Onyx left, just a bunch of hybrids."

     "I'm a hybrid." Seokjin reminded him, not liking what this could all mean.

     "You are my kin, not the science experiments that Cato manufactured." Yoongi tapped the lighter, "If Yoosun somehow manages to complete his spell and bring back my son, well, I am sure you understand why that is a bad idea."

     "I thought Cato was carrying out your life's work-"

     "My whole intention was to purge bloodlines, Lupius and I were in agreement on that."

     "Lupius?" Seokjin shook his head, there was no way the God of werewolves would agree to this, "Bullshit."

     "The agenda of the god's is never one for mortals to understand." Yoongi sighed, "It was the only thing he and I could ever agree on."

     "Did Namjoon know?"

     "Why would Namjoon be privy to such information," Yoongi chided. "He gave up his immortal status for your pack. Not exactly top 10 on Lupius' most cherished father-son moments."

     "So you just kill off the whole species and start over?"

     "Don't be so surprised, it's been a long honored tradition to purge the bloodlines once every thousand years."

     "So this is a game to you?" Seokjin was angry, "You all just pit your children against each other for entertainment?"

     "The purebloods will, of course, live on, we're about five generations in now, so less incest involved." Yoongi laughed, amused. Seokjin was disgusted. "Oh don't be such a killjoy, Seokjin, I will let you and Jungkook continue on."

     "I'm flattered," Seokjin didn't hide his sarcasm. "Really."

     "This is not a new concept, even the goody-good gods do this." Yoongi informed him, "Now if you don't mind, Yoongi has some sort of purging to do of his own."

     "I'll be outside." Seokjin patted Yoongi's shoulder and walked out of the room.

 

     Seokjin wasn't sure if it was a joke, a trick or the truth...maybe all mixed into one. Could Skotadi really have latched himself onto Yoongi's being and invade his body like a parasite? If it was Skotadi, then he knew he couldn't trust him, his plans, the god's plans, were to cleanse the bloodlines. How many of them would die? Would Yoongi be one of them? What if this was the thing that would make Seokjin snap? Seokjin knew he'd have to stop Skotadi...but how? He couldn't kill a god, but could he maim one? This was out of the range of his knowledge, he needed to talk to Abram.

      Back at the castle, Seokjin corralled Jimin into the library. He needed Jimin to be in on the skype call to Abram, someone to witness what he was to ask but was also discreet enough not to go blabbing to anyone else. Jimin had the laptop set up and ready to make the call when he remembered something.

     "Hey, I almost forgot," Jimin wasn't sure how to explain his anonymous 'friend' to anyone. "I have it on good authority that any dormant abilities you have would help if you unlocked them-"

     "Dormant abilities?" Seokjin looked at him like he grew an extra head, "What does that mean....wait, like dormant magic?"

     "I suppose." Jimin pulled out his chair and sat. "Magic counters magic, so that makes sense."

     "One worry at a time." Seokjin sat as Jimin dialed Abram.

     "Jimin, Seokjin." Abram removed his bifocals, smiling, "Good to see you."

     "Evening." Jimin greeted.

     "Abram, what I have to ask is going to be odd," Seokjin grimaced, more like murderous, foul, unholy.

     "What can I help you with?"

     "Can you...hurt a god?" Seokjin took a deep breath, "Temporary put one out of commission-"

     Jimin gasped, "Seokjin?"

     "Well anything is possible, but not without consequences-"

     "What if it's to save thousands of lives?" Seokjin leaned closer to the webcam.

     "What's going on?" Jimin looked at him as if he just muttered offensive words about his mother.

     "Skotadi and Lupius plan to purge their bloodlines, I dunno how many others-"

     "How do you know this?" Abram's mouth was hanging open.

     "I ran into Skotadi today-"

     "Where?" Jimin gasped again.

     "Bloodline purification is an outdated practice," Abram shook his head, "Are you sure of this?"

     "That's what the prophecy was about, Lupius and Skotadi put it into motion. He failed with Cato and Yoosun, but he thought somehow he wouldn't fail with me-"

     "If this is true, you can petition Dagma and the council-"

     "We don't have time for that, he plans to do this tomorrow night, on the blood moon-"

     "Seokjin, if you do this, you can be sentenced to death. Taking down a god is against the laws."

     "I'll take my chances that Dagma will take pity on me and understand why I had to do this." Seokjin couldn't worry about the politics for now.

     "The safest option is a gem, it can freeze time in one small area, if you could trap him in that area-"

     "There is also the small problem that he is inside of someone at the moment." Seokjin didn't want Yoongi to get hurt in the process.

     "It will not harm the carrier or the passenger." Abram assured him, "If that fails, the only other way is you can stab one, rendering said god out of commission for a few days-"

      "No way, that will get you a one-way ticket to the otherworld for sure." Jimin protested.

     "A special dagger laced with the essence of another god or direct descendant of a god, like a son or a daughter."

     "Essence?" Seokjin asked.

     "The extraction ritual itself can take days, but Namjoon has a special rock that holds part of Yeolgwi-"

     "Yeah, that's not an option."

     "Why not?" Namjoon was lurking in the doorway, Seokjin and Jimin turned towards the door, startled.

     Seokjin scrunched up his face, closing his eyes, clenching his jaw. _Shit._

Namjoon walked over to join them, "What is going on?"

     "Skotadi has plans for a mass genocide." Seokjin turned to look at him, "Bloodline purification."

     "Skotadi?" Namjoon was perplexed.

      Seokjin filled him in on what had happened earlier and what Yoongi was harboring within.

     "He and Lupius are playing a sick game." Jimin was bitter.

     "Seokjin, I was looking through my safe earlier today and found it peculiar that there was a box missing." Namjoon stared into Seokjin's eyes, "Would you know something about that?"

     "I had to, if I didn't Yoongi would be dead right now-"

     "You stole from me?"

     "Jihoon had the counter, there was no way Yuta would've been able to figure out the combination of spells-"

     "You gave that rock to Jihoon?" Namjoon's raised voice made them both jump. "Do you know what you've done?"

     "I saved a life." Seokjin yelled, "I couldn't watch him die."

     "Abram, thank you for your help." Namjoon bowed his head and motioned for Jimin to end the call. "I'll contact you later about this matter."

     "Da." Abram nodded and Jimin waved him off as he pressed the end call.

     "Jimin, can you give us a moment?" Namjoon didn't take his eyes off Seokjin.

     "Yeah, sure." Jimin exchanged glances with Seokjin as he picked up his laptop and exited quickly.

     Namjoon leaned his hands on the back of the chair, "Considering what Jihoon's plans are, that rock was the only thing strong enough to allow for his ascension, even with Yoosun's spell, without that rock-"

     "What did you expect me to do, watch Yoongi die?"

     "I expected you would ask before you go and take things that aren't yours." Namjoon took a deep breath, "It could have been replicated...by me."

     "I didn't have time for that," Seokjin reasoned. "I couldn't take the chance that you would have said no."

     "I'm disappointed that you have so little faith in me." Namjoon shook his head. Seokjin looked down at the rug. "I guess all those years of secrets has shaken your trust in me."

     "I'm sorry."

     "You made the decision, you have to live with it, just like I have to live with my many mistakes." Namjoon figured, "The problem is if Skotadi and Lupius have concocted this little scheme to rid the world of their bad stock, then we're all just pawns."

     "I have to stop him-"

     "You have enough to worry about with Yoosun, let me worry about Skotadi...and Yoongi." Namjoon nodded. "You don't need to be put to death for treason-"

     "You've gone against the council already, Lupius won't cut you slack this time-"

     "I understand the consequences." Namjoon stated, "We need to figure out how you can stop Yoosun."

     "How do I tap into dormant abilities?" Seokjin asked, remembering what Jimin had said earlier. "Awaken magic."

     "Magic." Namjoon thought hard, "It's a long shot-"

     "I know." Seokjin nodded, "Maybe my only shot."

     "Magic versus magic gives you an advantage," Namjoon explained, "If you can tap into any magical ability, you'de be better equipped to counter anything he throws at you-"

     "So how do I wake it up?"

     "An awakening spell would be the fastest way, but whatever is awoken can be unpredictable. I can't promise it will work either."

     "I have to try."

     "This could backfire badly, Seokjin, are you sure?"

     "It's a better option than him killing us all." Seokjin pressed his hands on his leader's shoulders, "I'm sure."

     "Go down to the lab, wait for me to find Yuta and Hoseok, I'm going to need their help."

     "Okay," Seokjin nodded, realizing how many issues he had caused already, by not trusting their leader. The look in his eyes was enough for Namjoon to know how bad Seokjin felt about this all.

     "I just hope it works." Namjoon's hesitation was apparent, he didn't like any of this one bit, but he also had no other answers. Everything he had done up until now seemed to be the wrong decision, maybe he needed to trust in his pack if they were to trust in him.

     "Thank you."

     Namjoon nodded as Seokjin hurried out of the room. He pulled out his phone and texted Hoseok and then Yuta, shaking his head. _Dear Gods, help us all._

 

* * *

BATTLE OF THE CENTURY UP AND COMING!!  Thank you for your patience!!  <3


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